Blurred Lines
by ynnej2198
Summary: While Robin is defrosting Jason, Patrick and Sabrina give in to temptation. Will their affair reawaken their feelings or will everything come crashing down again?
1. Chapter 1

Patrick stood at the nurses station going over some charts and talking to the new Chief of ER, William Foster. He'd moved here from somewhere in the Midwest and started at GH shortly after Sabrina left for Puerto Rico. By all accounts (meaning: nurse gossip), Will was a great guy. He ran the ER pretty strictly, as he was as serious about his career as Patrick, but no one minded because he was funny and respectful - oh, and apparently had abs that put Magic Milo to shame. While Patrick couldn't personally vouch for the last part, he admitted that the rest was accurate. That said, he also recognized something about Will that others hadn't caught onto yet: He was Patrick 10 years ago. Will was respected professionally, but he was also came across as cocky and arrogant. No one seemed to mind, however, because his humor and "sparkly blue eyes" compensated for it. As Patrick observed Will, he couldn't believe how much he'd grown up in the last few years, thanks largely to Emma. And, truth be told, he much preferred himself now.

After they finished their conversation, he watched as Will made his way to the elevator.. When the door opened, the guy was absorbed in something on his phone and crashed into a woman exiting the elevator. Patrick snickered - until he realized who Will had almost run over.

Today was Sabrina's first day back in Port Charles. The day of Gabriel's funeral, her cousin Juan invited her to come home with him to convalesce after her "episode" (which she was still woefully embarrassed about). Since she still had half her maternity leave left, she buried her baby, said goodbye to Patrick and boarded the first flight out. As it turned out, San Juan was just what she needed. The time away allowed her to grieve for her son, catch up on her sleep, see her family and think about her life going forward. Sabrina honestly had considered not returning to Port Charles, but she missed Felix and GH too much to stay away. She also wanted to know if anyone found out who killed her son and to check on Patrick and Emma. Sabrina knew that she would always love them, but her trip also showed her that staying close to them when they weren't hers was stopping her from moving forward with her life - and she desperately needed to move forward. So, instead of hiding in San Juan, she boarded a plane back to Port Charles.

When Sabrina dropped her stuff off at their apartment, she didn't see Felix anywhere, so she decided to stop by GH to drop off the papers from her doctor in San Juan clearing her to return to work in a few days and see if she could surprise him. However, she ended up being the one surprised when, as she was getting out of the elevator, she was steamrolled by someone she'd never seen before. An involuntary "Ooomph!" left her lips as she began falling backwards. Suddenly, she was encircled in strong arms that steadied her and heard a "Sorry. I wasn't paying attention." Sabrina was about to say "It's okay," when she looked up and was speechless.

The man, probably even more gorgeous than Patrick, released her and stepped back. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. No worse for wear," Sabrina said with a smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. Thanks." When Sabrina saw his scrubs, she said, "Do you work here?"

"Yeah, just started," he said with a grin. "I'm Will Foster, the new head of ER."

Sabrina took the hand he extended to shake and replied, "Sabrina Santiago. I'm a nurse here."

Still clasping her hand, Will said, "Nice to meet you." Then he looked at her puzzlingly and added, "I've been here over a month and I haven't seen you… And I would have remembered you."

Sabrina blushed at his compliment. "I've been out of town. I just got back today."

"Well, that's good to know. I'm definitely looking forward to running into you around here."

The two were still clasping hands, Sabrina inexplicably unable to let go, when she heard a throat clear. Sabrina turned her head and saw Patrick, who didn't look happy. She pulled her hand from Will's and made a show of righting herself as she said, "Me, too, Will Foster."

Will then got into the elevator and winked at her as the doors closed. Afterward, Sabrina turned toward Patrick and steeled herself for a reunion she'd been both anticipating and dreading since the day she left.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for the ride, Patrick," Sabrina said as she entered her new apartment ahead of Patrick.

"No, problem. It's the least I could do since your car is in the shop and Emma begged you to come trick or treating with us."

"I was happy to come," Sabrina said on a smile as Patrick closed the door. "Emma looked so cute in her costume."

"Yeah, she did. I took a bunch of pictures for Robin."

Sabrina noticed Patrick's frown when he said Robin's name and, against her better judgment asked, "So, things are still tense between you two?"

"Yeah." Patrick then looked around the disarray of the apartment and said, "looks like you're starting to settle in a little."

"Changing the subject..." Sabrina side-eyed Patrick and then went along with his lead. "Yeah, I am. I love Felix, but I need my own space since Puerto Rico."

When Patrick opened his mouth to get her to elaborate, Sabrina gave him a look that said she didn't want to discuss it. Sabrina was glad that she and Patrick were able to regain the friendship they'd built before everything went to hell; however, she was working to try to keep a level of privacy and distance when it came to certain subjects now that they were no longer a couple.

Patrick was reluctantly working his way toward the door. "Well, I guess I should get going. Since Em is having her Halloween party sleepover at Darcy's, I should get caught up on a few things around the house."

"Unless..." Sabrina started, but then stopped.

"Unless what?"

"You want to hang out for a while. I can order a pizza."

Patrick smiled. "I'd like that."

Patrick was having a great time with Sabrina. He was very happy that they were able to overcome all the pain and regain their friendship since her return from PR. He did feel a little bad that Emma was starting to rely heavily again on Sabrina in Robin's absence though, which, he assumed was why Sabrina seemed reluctant to give them 100% only to be "replaced" when Robin returned. He didn't really like the distance, but he accepted it because having Sabrina back in his life was better than the alternative. The three months she was gone was actually worse for Patrick than Robins absence, a fact he didn't like to ponder for fear of the results.

"Thanks for the pizza and beer," he said. "This was fun."

Sabrina smiled her mega-watt smile and replied. "Yeah, it was. Thanks for keeping me company."

"Anytime."

"Well, it's getting late. I have to work the early shift tomorrow, so..."

"Yeah... I guess I should go." Patrick said as he stood up and worked his way thought her maze of boxes toward the door. He'd just pulled the door open and was about to walk out when Sabrina's smoke detector in her bedroom started going off.

"Dammit!" she exclaimed frustratedly. "Maintenance was supposed to fix that and I'm not tall enough to reach the ceiling - even with my stepstool."

"I could look at it for you. Worst case I can take it down and take out the battery until maintenance can fix it."

"Would you mind?"

"Of course not, or else I wouldn't have offered." Patrick closed the door and said, "Lead the way!"

When they got into Sabrina's bedroom, she immediately pulled out her stepstool for him. He climbed up and reached for the smoke detector. When he grasped it and twisted to pull it off, Patrick felt his back spasm and let out an involuntary "Ow!" Sabrina started fussing worriedly over him as he climbed down, opened the battery case and violently removed the batteries.

"Oh my gosh. Are you okay?"

"Yeah" he said on a wince. "I'll be fine."

"I know you Patrick. You aren't fine. Is it your back?"

"Uh-huh. I think I twisted it wrong when I reached up."

Sabrina guided him to the bed and said, "Lay down. I'll go get some ice."

Before Patrick could protest, Sabrina had already left the room. One thing that he had learned from their relationship was not to argue with her when she had her mind set on something. So, Patrick got as comfortable as he could on top of the covers until she came back.

When Sabrina came back, she put the ice on his back and he jumped a little from the cold shock. When Sabrina murmured a halfhearted "Sorry," under her laughter, Patrick smiled despite his pain and responded with a cheeky, "I'll bet you are..."

They sat chatting about nothing impeticular for about twenty minutes until she took the ice off. Unfortunately, when Patrick tried to move, he was hit with another spasm. Unable to hide his pain, Sabrina frowned and said, "I have an idea that might help."

Patrick looked at her curiously when she rolled him over partially and started unbuttoning his shirt. She responded by saying, "Get your mind out of the gutter... I was talking about a massage..."

Patrick smirked and rolled back over onto his stomach. "Do your worst, Nurse Santiago"

Patrick relaxed and let Sabrina work her magic on his injured muscles and found himself involuntarily moaning in pleasure at the feel of her hands on his body. He told himself it was just because she had the magic touch for his back, but he was fooling himself.

Sabrina felt awful that Patrick had injured himself doing a favor for her, so she wanted to make it up to him by massaging the muscle; however, she quickly learned the folly in that idea. She'd worked so hard to bury her feelings for Patrick after their breakup and now she was undoing it all with a few simple touches. By Patrick's reaction, Sabrina could tell that he was as affected as she was, so, she abruptly stopped.

When she backed away, Patrick rolled over and sat up. Since she was sitting on the edge of the bed, when he sat up and put one leg on the ground, he was essentially straddling her.

Sabrina looked into Patrick's eyes as he stared back at her. "Patrick," she said breathlessly, "This is a really bad idea..."

Patrick swallowed and his eyes traveled from hers down the length of her torso, pausing at her breasts, and back up. "A terrible idea..." he replied, right before he kissed her.

The two of them sat there kissing as if they were in the desert and the other person was their only source of water. Sabrina scooted forward as he pulled her toward him. Crushed against his body but unable to get close enough, Sabrina murmured (between kisses), "Your back... This is gonna hurt."

Patrick pulled away slightly and looked into her eyes. "I'm counting on it," he said with a wicked smile. Then, he began falling backward and used the momentum to pull her down on top of him.


	3. Chapter 3

As Sabrina stood in front of Patrick's office door with her hand poised to knock, she flashed back to their tryst a few nights ago. She hadn't meant for things to go as far as they had, but they did - and she felt guilty as hell for it. Because she had to work the early shift, she ended up sneaking out of her own apartment like a thief the next morning. She'd left Patrick a note to help himself to anything in the kitchen and to lock the door behind him. Unfortunately, their work schedules hadn't really allowed them to connect and discuss what had happened other than through deliberately vague text messages. So, since she was done her shift and she heard from Liz that Patrick was catching up on paperwork in his office, Sabrina decided to bite the bullet.

Patrick couldn't concentrate at all. He decided to spend some time catching up on paperwork, but the effort was proving futile since his mind kept flashing back to making love the other night with Sabrina. None of what happened between them had been planned, but once the match was lit, the fire raged out of control - all night long. They had barely fallen asleep when he felt Sabrina get out of bed to get ready for her shift. She'd left him a note and promised to touch base with him as soon as she could. However, between their staggered work shifts and his responsibilities with Em's, they had only been able to connect through text messages. Patrick didn't know what their night together meant, if anything, but he knew that they couldn't stay in this limbo. He had just picked up his cell phone to call her when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said absently as he continued to stare at her contact info on his phone.

Sabrina poked her head in. "Hey, Patrick, do you have a minute? I think we need to talk."

"Absolutely. And... I agree."

Sabrina made her way in and closed the door behind her. As she did that, Patrick got up from behind his desk. "Why don't we sit on the couch?" he suggested.

When Sabrina nodded, Patrick walked the long way around his desk and locked the door. At Sabrina's questioning look, he explained, "Not everyone knocks."

"Ah, okay. That makes sense. People, especially Felix, do have a tendency to barge in and ask questions later." They shared a laugh at all the times Felix unintentionally interrupted them during their relationship.

"So," Patrick hedged, "You wanted to talk?"

When Patrick prompted her to talk, Sabrina suddenly couldn't seem to find any words. As her mind raced, all she could say was, "Yeah... About the other night."

"What about it?"

"I never meant for any of that to happen. You have to believe me, Patrick. I would never intentionally make things difficult for you with Robin and your marriage." As Sabrina spoke, her voice got higher and higher and she talked faster and faster.

Patrick gently clasped her upper arms. "Sabrina. Calm down, please." When she took a deep breath, he contined. "I know you well enough to know you didn't plan it. And, I also know that you didn't attack me..."

Sabrina got out a "Patrick" before he shushed her. "Nothing happened that I didn't want. And... I'm not sorry it did."

Sabrina smiled sadly. "Me neither." She made a show of brushing invisible wrinkles from her pants. "Good. Then it's settled. We just pretend it never happened and go back to being friends." When Sabrina went to get up, though, Patrick stopped her.

Patrick was sorry for betraying Robin, but he was not sorry for sleeping with Sabrina. He didn't regret it and he wouldn't allow her to either. However, when she let out a deep breath of relief and suggested pretending the whole thing never happened, something snapped inside him. He wanted her as a friend, always, but being with her had made him happier than he had been since Robin walked out the door back in March. He couldn't just up and act as if their night - and the intimacies they'd shared - never happened. So, when she went to get up, his hand shot out to stop her.

"Patrick?"

"Sabrina, I don't want to pretend the other night never happened."

"Okay, so, it happened. But it doesn't mean anything." When Patrick frowned, Sabrina added, "It can't mean anything. Surely you know that, right?"

"I don't know what I know anymore. Everything I thought I knew got turned upside down over and over in a matter of months. But, what I do know is that this pull between us hasn't gone away. And, I'm not sure I want it to..."

"So, what are you saying?"

Patrick cupped her check with his hand and then brushed a rogue strand of hair behind her ear. He absently twirled it in his hand as he said, "I don't know. But, I don't want this to end."

Sabrina knew all the things she should say, the topmost of which being that she deserves better than to be his mistress. The problem was, however, that there was a large part of her that craved him. The other night had reawakened all the desires she had buried and now she yearned for his touch despite knowing that it was all she could really ever have - because Patrick loved his wife and when Robin came back he would go back to her (just like last time).

Sabrina grabbed Patrick's hand from her hair and entwined hers with it. "What are we going to do, Patrick? I want you so much. I know I shouldn't, but I do."

Patrick's other hand traveled up her body and came to rest behind her neck. Sabrina leaned forward at his subtle urging until she was inches away. She could tell that Patrick was fighting an internal war between doing what was right (remaining faithful to Robin and not hurting Sabrina) and what he wanted (to be with Sabrina and let their attraction play out knowing Sabrina will be hurt - again), so Sabrina took the ball out of his court by leaning in and kissing him with all the passion she'd bottled up inside. Sabrina knew this was going to end badly for her, but the difference was that she KNEW it, so she wouldn't be blindsided when it all came crashing down.

Patrick could tell that Sabrina knew he was fighting an internal battle. If he did what he wanted and kept sleeping with her, it was inevitable that she would get hurt. However, after the wedding, he promised himself he would never ever be responsible causing her that level of pain again. Even if she knew the score going in, which she clearly did from the way she was kissing him, could he live himself later?

When he hesitated to respond to her kiss, Sabrina pulled away from him briefly and said, "Stop fighting this. Whatever happens, happens."

At that, Patrick muttered "What the hell," and gave in and pulled her in for another kiss that made Sabrina's seem chaste.

Soon, their kisses became frantic and were no longer enough. Desperate the feel her against him skin-to-skin, Patrick broke away and pulled her up off the couch. When they were standing, he yanked her shirt off as she unbuttoned his and slid it from his shoulders. When the rest of their clothes were littering the floor, they sank back to the couch and into bliss.


	4. Chapter 4

Patrick entered the locker room from the OR and paused to gather his bearings. The surgery had taken longer than he thought, but it had given him time to think about everything that had happened over the past month with Sabrina. The fact was that they were in the midst of an affair and, even though he knew it was wrong, he just couldn't end it. As happy as he had been to have Robin back, a huge part of him missed the relationship that he and Sabrina had built. To have her back in his life, his arms and his bed gave him a sense of contentment and peace he hadn't felt since before their ill-fated wedding.

Patrick and Sabrina worked hard in their day-to-day lives to pretend everything was normal, or as normal as could be for ex-fiancés turned grieving parent co-workers. She spent a fair amount of time with him and Emma, but always in public because Sabrina practically refused to be with them at his and Robin's house. When they got "together", it was usually in his office or at her apartment. Although she would let him spend the night sometimes, he could tell that she was keeping him at arm's length.

Whenever they were at the hospital, they kept a respectable distance away from each other, but they'd been caught a few times by Felix and Elizabeth sharing stolen glances and secret smiles. While they were able to convince their well-meaning but nosy friends that it was just friendship with some residual feelings, Patrick wasn't sure how much longer that excuse would work. It was getting more difficult by the day to be around Sabrina and not want to be physically affectionate with her in public.

Patrick tried not to ponder that last thought too much as he made his way to his locker, passing the newly-renovated showers. Because some of the female staff complained, Obrecht had renovated the single open shower in to two private stalls. The wall between the two showers extended out and had hooks and shelves for towels and other essentials. Patrick heard the shower running when he came in, but hadn't thought much of it; however, when he walked by he noticed a terrycloth bathrobe hanging from the hook and recognized it as the one Emma had bought Sabrina last year. (Since Emma said Sabrina looked like a princess at the Nurses Ball, Emma had gotten her a robe printed with all the Disney princesses.) Considering Sabrina practically never took showers at the hospital, Patrick wondered what plans she had tonight that necessitated it.

Patrick walked to his locker, which wasn't viewable from the main door and passed Sabrina's open one as he did so. He couldn't help but smile at the pictures she had inside of Gabriel and her and Emma. He frowned when he saw the one of the three of them that Felicia took last July 4th folded down so only she and Emma were visible. Even though he knew she probably did it because it would seem inappropriate to have his picture in her locker now that he was back with Robin, Patrick was surprised by how much it hurt him to figuratively be cut out of her life like that. He opened his locker door and resolved to put it out of his mind as he prepared to shower and pick up Emma.

Wrapped in a towel, Patrick was walking toward the empty stall when he heard the water shut off. He saw Sabrina's hand shoot out from the curtain and grab the robe. A few seconds later, the curtain opened and Sabrina emerged. Clearly not expecting to see him, she jumped back in surprise. "Patrick! Sheesh, you scared me."

He smiled. "Sorry."

Sabrina stepped out and gathered her towel and toiletries. "No problem. How was your surgery?"

"It took longer than I thought, but it went well."

"Good, I'm glad."

"So," he hedged, "Why the shower? I know you don't usually take them here."

Shrugging, she said, "Well, I worked a double and Will invited me out for coffee after. I didn't want to go out smelling like hospital."

Sabrina started to pass by him, but Patrick's hand shot out involuntarily. "You're going out with Foster?"

Sabrina locked eyes with him and answered, "Yeah, I thought it was best."

"Why?"

"Well, Will's been pretty persistent in trying to get me to go out with him since I came home. And ever since Felix almost caught us the other week, he's been hounding me about you and what's going on with us. So, I decided to kill two birds with one stone…"

Even though Patrick understood Sabrina's pretty clever logic in using Foster as a diversion, it still bothered him that she would be going out with the guy while they were doing whatever it was they are doing.

Sabrina said, "Please try to understand."

Patrick inched toward her. "I get it, Sabrina," he said, as the hand he'd stopped her with rose to brush a stray tendril from her loose ponytail out of her eye. "I'm just not thrilled about it… Considering…"

Patrick knew he should back away and let Sabrina get ready, but his feet wouldn't move. Sabrina eyed him up and down and then swallowed convulsively. When she leaned in toward him and whispered his name on a breath that told Patrick she was struggling as much as he was to keep her emotions (read: lust) in check, he gave up the fight and kissed her.


	5. Chapter 5

Sabrina was bone-tired from working her double shift, but she promised Will she would go for coffee with him. He was a nice guy and she did want to get to know him, but she also really wanted Felix off of her back about Patrick. He'd nearly caught them and was getting overly suspicious over their stolen glances and secret smiles and Sabrina didn't know how much she could take. When Will asked her for coffee at the start of her second shift while Fe was in earshot, Sabrina said yes before she could talk herself out of it. She'd had a feeling Patrick wouldn't be thrilled, but since they weren't a couple, he didn't really get a vote.

While she was in the shower, she heard the door open and someone shuffling around and was immediately glad for Obrect's renovations. She never took showers at GH because she valued her privacy, but now that she could have that, it made things decidedly more convenient.

When she stepped out of the shower, Sabrina was taken aback by seeing Patrick standing in front of her nearly naked. She had hoped he would still be in surgery so she could slip out without him knowing about her date and then tell him after the fact. Since her luck didn't hold out, she distracted herself from his body by making chitchat and gathering her belongings. It had amost worked until Mr Observant commented on her shower. Because she didn't have the energy to lie, Sabrina told the truth and was rewarded by Patrick's possessive reaction - which secretly thrilled her.

Sabina knew the deal. She really did. But the more time spent with Patrick - in his life, his arms and his bed - the more she longed for what had been ripped away. She'd been working overtime to keep her feelings out of it and hold Patrick at arm's length, but (despite appearances) wasn't doing so hot. The lust consumed her as the love stealthily crept back into her heart. The fact that her hands were full was the only thing keeping her from ripping that towel off.

Sabrina tried to convince herself to walk past him, but his few steps toward her and his hand brushing her hair away stopped her. The look on his face detailed his struggle to keep his emotions in check, just as her breathing did for her. When she lost her battle and leaned in, begging for what she desired, Patrick obliged. Heedless of their location, Sabina dropped her stuff the second his mouth landed on hers, wrapped her arms around his neck and plastered her body to his.

Sabrina could feel the evidence of his desire and found herself pulling him back into the stall she'd just vacated. Once inside, she maneuvered their positions so she could yank the curtain closed. Never once parting, she removed his towel, pushed him against the wall and allowed her hands to roam freely all over his body. Moments later, Patrick abruptly broke their kiss and pushed her away from him to rip the robe from her shoulders. He looked his fill as it puddled beneath their feet and then hauled Sabrina back to him with one hand as he turned on the water with the other.

Sabrina was on fire as Patrick touched and kissed her in the places he knew she loved as water rained down on their joined bodies. Not wanting to burn alone, she leaned on the wall of the stall for support and used her legs to pull him closer while making expert use of her hands and lips. In the recesses of her mind, she heard the locker room door open, but she was too far gone to care. As tentative steps made their way toward the shower, Patrick caught Sabrina's scream with an all-consuming kiss. Sated, Sabrina leaned her head against the wall behind her as Patrick nuzzled her neck in a quest to calm his breathing.

Unfortunately, Sabrina was brought out of her reverie when she heard. "Yo, Puerto Rico! You haven't drowned in there, have you?"


	6. Chapter 6

As Patrick worked to regain his composure, he tried to make sense of what had just happened. They'd made love countless times during their relationship and recently, but it had never been like this. What was generally tender and exploratory was, today, impulsive, frantic and all-consuming.

He'd been so wrapped up in their coupling that he'd barely heard the locker room door close, so he was thankful that he'd had the presence of mind to suppress Sabrina's scream (and his own moans) with a kiss. The last thing he wanted for Sabrina, who was intensely private, was to be caught having sex in the locker room shower - let alone with her married former fiance'.

He heard Foster say, "Yo, Puerto Rico! You haven't drowned in there, have you?" At that, Sabrina, who'd been relaxed despite being plastered against the wall, immediately came to attention. She mouthed "Oh my God!" to him and then shouted, "Will? Is that you?"

"Yeah. I just came to check on you. I was worried when you didn't meet me at the time we'd discussed."

Sabrina (rather regretfully, in Patrick's estimation) untangled herself from his body and stood. "I'm so sorry. I lost track of time Can you give me a few minutes to change?"

Will chuckled. "Sure, Puerto Rico, whatever you want. I'll be outside."

Patrick saw Sabrina relax when Foster started walking away. When he joked, "I guess those Herbal Essence commercials were true," on his way out, Sabrina blushed from ear to ear.

After the door closed, Sabrina glanced at Patrick. She muttered, "That was close," as she scrambled to pick up her soaked bathrobe. "I'd better get dressed and get out there before he comes back."

Sabrina grabbed the curtain to move it aside, essentially dismissing him, but Patrick caught her hand midair. When she looked at him questioningly, he moved in and kissed her, hard, on the lips. Then he pulled away and reached for the other side. As he pushed it aside, he smiled wickedly, said, "Have fun on your date," and stepped out into the main room naked as the day he was born.

Patrick felt Sabrina watching him as he picked up his his toiletry bag from the shelf he'd laid it on and walked back to his locker and knew that Will Foster would be the last thing on her mind during her date.

* * *

Sabrina had a nice time with Will on their date, as he was funny, smart, charming and attractive as hell. Unfortunately, she was far more inattentive than he deserved thanks to Patrick and his parting volley after their interlude in the shower. She knew that is exactly the result Patrick had wanted and she felt like kicking him for it. So, when she got home, she texted Patrick.

_Jerk_

A few minutes later, she received a reply. _What?_

_Don't play dumb. You know exactly what I'm talking about._

_If you didn't have fun on your date, it isn't my fault._

_I'll have you know I had a wonderful time. Will is super-sweet and funny._

_If you say so. _

_Well, I do._

Sabrina put the phone on the charger and changed for bed. She had just turned off the light and was about to get under the covers when it dinged.

_Goodnight, Sabrina. Hope you aren't too distracted by your "date" to sleep._

Sabrina chuckled despite herself. Then, she replied: _I have the feeling I'm not the one having problems sleeping. Maybe you are a little preoccupied yourself._ After she sent that, she added, _Hey!__ You should try counting sheep. I hear that helps._

_Ha-Ha. Very funny._

_I thought so. Goodnight Patrick. Kiss Emma for me. See you tomorrow._

With that, Sabrina put down the phone and settled in to sleep. Her dreams would definitely be sweet, but not in a Disney princess kind of way.


	7. Chapter 7

Christmas Eve...

Patrick was in deep. As he sat behind his desk toying with the sterling silver locket (with Gabriel's picture inside) that he'd bought Sabrina for Christmas, he tried to decide what to do. Being with Sabrina again had reawakened his feelings for her, which were just as powerful as before. However, he was still married to Robin even though he'd barely spoken to her in months and had no idea when or if she was coming home. He loved Robin and always would, but he just didn't know if they could save their marriage - or whether he even wanted to anymore. When she came back last year, Patrick had been torn but knew deep down the woman he wanted was his wife. If Robin walked through that door right now, he didn't know if he would make the same decision. The problem was that Robin wasn't going to walk through the door because Jason was more important than their family. So, if she wasn't coming home, was it worth it to deny himself the happiness he could have with Sabrina?

As he put the locket back in the box and tiny snowman gift bag he'd picked up, he heard a knock on the door. He put the bag in his duffel beside his chair and said, "Come in."

When the door opened, Sabrina entered carrying her coat, purse and a giant bag of wrapped presents. Patrick smiled and then rushed to help her. "Did you leave anything at the store?" he joked as he took the bag from her and sat it on the floor.

Sabrina laughed happily. "Nope!" She sat her purse and coat a chair in front of his desk and then turned around to face him again. "Those are for Emma. I know you are coming for dinner tomorrow, but I wanted her to have them when she wakes up."

"You spoil her rotten, but she appreciates it."

Sabrina shrugged. "I don't mind. I know she misses Robin." When Patrick frowned, Sabrina asked if he'd heard from her.

"No, not since she skyped Emma at Thanksgiving." When Sabrina opened her mouth to get him to elaborate, Patrick stepped forward and shushed her by putting his index finger to her lips. "Can we not talk about her?"

Sabrina nodded and Patrick moved his hand away and placed it on her shoulder. Noticing her dress, he said, "You look beautiful. Is that new?"

Sabrina stepped back, smiled and twirled around in her new red wrap dress. "Uh-huh. I thought it was festive for the holiday. You like it?"

"Yeah." Before he could say anything else, Sabrina walked toward him, leaned in and whispered in his ear, "But it is just the wrapping. Your present is underneath."

When she pulled back and winked at him as she turned to get something out of Emma's bag, Patrick halted her by grabbing the ends of the tie holding the dress together.

She laughed as he reeled her back in to him until she was inches away. "Oh no you don't."

"Don't what?" She asked as she looked at him all innocent and puppy-eyed.

"You don't say that and then walk away as if you commented on the weather."

Sabrina closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I just wanted to see what you would do." She kissed him lightly on the lips and then asked, "Well, do you want to open your present or not?"

* * *

Sabrina waited with baited breath for Patrick to make up his mind on opening her "present". She knew he wasn't deciding whether or not to untie her dress, but how slowly he was going to do it. She meant to torture him a little by making her comment and then pretending she hadn't said it, so she knew he was getting her back for it. He released one of the strings to the tie and stood there holding the other one. As he wrapped it around his fingers to loosen it, he smiled at her wickedly and her breathing grew more shallow in anticipation.

She locked eyes with Patrick as he began tugging on the end and could tell that he was as turned on as she was. She had expected him to yank the tie after he reeled her in, but instead, he pulled it slowly, inch-by-inch. Frustrated, Sabrina rose an eyebrow at him as if to say, "Get a move on."

However, Patrick was having none of that and said, "With presents as valuable as this, you have to take extra care with the wrapping." On a smile, he added, "I wouldn't want to accidentally rip it..."

Once the tie was completely loosened (way too slowly for Sabrina's liking), Patrick pulled the top layer of her dress across her body and the inner layer fell to her side. He let out a "Wow," as his eyes traveled down her body and back up. Then he said, "That's some present."

Sabrina grabbed her dress and slid it off her shoulders. Once it fell to the floor, she kicked it aside using her matching heels and then held out her her hands in a model-like pose. She'd found the delicate lingerie set when she'd impulsively stopped at Victoria's Secret during one of her recent Christmas shopping trips to the mall and knew instantly it was something she wanted to wear especially for Patrick, who knew and appreciated the passionate woman she was beneath her goody-two-shoes persona.

"So?" She asked.

Patrick crossed his arms and put one hand to his chin in a mock serious thinking pose. After a moment, he dropped his arms and said, "I don't know... I mean it looks nice on you, but I have an idea of where it would look better."

"Oh? And where might that be?" Sabrina asked as she advanced on him.

He pointed to her discarded dress. "I think it would look really great there."

Sabrina rolled her eyes at his interpretation of one of the corniest pickup lines ever, but decided to play along. When she got to him, she began unbuttoning his dress shirt. "Hmm. You may be right."

Patrick smirked and shrugged as if his correctness was a foregone conclusion, to which Sabrina responded with, "But, for it to look good there, I think it will need a little something extra."

As Sabrina undid the last button on his shirt and began untucking it from his khackies, he laughed. "And what might that be?"

Sabrina pushed his shirt off of his shoulders and said, "Well, this for starters..." When she reached for his belt buckle, Patrick grasped her wrists and pulled her flush against his body. He leaned down and growled, "Enough," right before he began kissing her and backing her toward the edge of his desk.

When they got there, he picked her up and deposited her on the surface. Sabrina opened her legs and he stepped between them. As Patrick reached around her to undo the clasp on her bra, Sabrina pulled him close and allowed her hands to roam over his back as she captured him in a kiss.

Sabrina momentarily tore her mouth away while she worked on his belt buckle. "Patrick?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever you do, just don't mess up my hair, okay?" (They were due in the conference center for the annual children's reading of The Night Before Christmas by Santa shortly with Emma, who was being dropped off by Anna.)

Patrick, who was supporting himself over her reclining body with one hand, took his free one and entwined his fingers in her hair. He murmured, "Honey, I'm not making any promises I can't keep," and then used his hold to bring her lips to his.


	8. Chapter 8

Patrick smiled as he stood in the back of the conference room the hospital set up for the reading of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas watching Emma interact with all the other kids who were gathering around Santa. He'd gotten the text from Anna letting him know they'd arrived shortly after he and Sabrina had finished making love in his office. He got dressed and went to meet Emma while Sabrina ran to her locker in an attempt to fix her hair, which he gleefully messed up.

When Sabrina finally entered the room chatting happily with Felix, Patrick's breath caught at how beautiful she looked. The wrap dress hugged her Latino curves in all the right places without being overtly sexy. When Sabrina spotted him, she smiled brightly, excused herself, and made her way over to him, her hair swinging behind her in a loose ponytail. When she reached him, she said, "Hey".

"Hey."

She nodded her head toward Emma. "Everything good?"

"Yeah. She's excited."

"Good," Sabrina said as she moved to stand next to him - close, but not too close.

They stood there companionably as the kids got settled and Santa began reading. As the story progressed, Patrick found himself inching closer to Sabrina's side and eventually clasped her hand in his. When she felt the contact, Sabrina looked over at him questioningly and attempted to break his hold, but he held tight since they were far enough in the back that their embrace wouldn't be noticeable. Sabrina eventually sighed quietly, squeezed his hand, and returned her attention to the story.

In that moment, holding Sabrina's hand and watching Emma sitting on Santa's lap smiling, Patrick thought everything was perfect.

* * *

Sabrina held Patrick's hand as she watched Emma and was more content and at peace than she'd been in ages, which immediately sent off warning signals in her brain. Emma and Patrick weren't hers and letting herself believe that they were, even momentarily, was dangerous to her heart because, despite all of her self-warnings to keep her distance, Sabrina had fallen back in love with both of them. She knew ending the affair and re-erecting her emotional walls was the best thing to do, but she couldn't. Sabrina was, for once in her life, being selfish and keeping them while she could.

Everyone in the room was so engulfed in Santa animatedly reading the story that no one noticed the doors open until Emma, who just glanced up to smile at her and Patrick, froze in shock. A moment later, she wiggled her way off of Santa's lap (who stopped reading) and shouted "Mommy!" as she jumped off the riser and ran down the aisle. After a collective gasp, all eyes in the room followed her until she reached and jumped into Robin's waiting arms.

When Sabrina witnessed this, she was immediately transported back in time to last year's failed wedding and her feelings of shock, embarrassment and helplessness bubbled to the surface. Involuntarily, she gasped and ripped her hand from Patrick's. As Robin hugged Emma, her eyes searched for and found Patrick, who Sabrina could tell was nearly as shocked as last year. When he momentarily glanced at Sabrina apologetically, she whispered "Go," and stepped as far away from his side as she could without being obvious.

When Patrick reached his family, Robin put Emma down. Sabrina heard her say, "It's over. I'm finally home to stay," right before she pulled him in for a kiss.

Apparently knowing her world was going to crash down hadn't prepared her any more for the reality of the experience than being blindsided had. Refusing to show any reaction whatsoever in front of all of Port Charles, Sabrina edged along the wall of the room and slinked out via the nearest side door. Once she was in the hallway she ran to the locker room, which was deserted, sank to the nearest bench and let her tears fall.


	9. Chapter 9

_Christmas Day..._

Patrick got up early and padded to the living room. Robin and Emma, who'd slept in between them last night, were still asleep in his and Robin's bedroom. Once there, he sank to the couch and put his head in his hands. His wife was home. He should be ecstatic. Instead, all he could think about was the pain in Sabrina's voice when she told him to go to Robin and Emma. He knew the moment she'd left the room and it had taken everything in him not to rip himself from Robin's arms and run after her. The only thing that had stopped him was Emma, who was happier than he'd seen her since the day Robin left. He couldn't - and wouldn't - ruin the moment for her.

After rubbing his face with his hands, Patrick lifted his head and spied the bag of presents Sabrina had gotten Emma. Sighing, he got up and retrieved the bag. Walking to the tree, he kneeled and began unloading the presents one by one and putting them under the tree, smiling at the 'Love Sabrina' that appeared on each of the tags.

When he grabbed the last present from the bag, Patrick paused because it was smaller and wrapped differently the than all the others had been. When he looked at the present, wrapped in red paper with a gold bow, he flashed back to last Christmas Eve at the gift he'd left behind in Sabrina's apartment. Had she meant to give this to him or had it gotten mixed in accidentally?

Patrick held the box for a few moments and and stared at the 'To Patrick, Love Sabrina' on the tag. After debating back and forth on whether he should open it, he ripped into the paper with the enthusiasm of his 8 year-old daughter.

_Several hours later... _

Holding a small bag with Emma's presents for Sabrina, Patrick stood at her door. Today was one day where Patrick was especially grateful for Emma's unique temperament. As happy as she was to have her mom home, she'd gotten upset when he told her that they wouldn't be going to Sabrina's for dinner. When he informed her they weren't going because they were going with mommy to Grandma Anna's instead, Emma began pouting and freaking out over how Sabrina was going to get the presents she'd made for her. When his offer to drop them at the hospital wasn't good enough (as Sabrina needed to have them today!) Patrick offered to stop on the way to Anna's. Although Robin wasn't thrilled with the detour, she agreed in order to keep Emma happy.

Patrick was about to knock when he remembered the snowman bag in his coat pocket. He reached in and pulled out the bag, dropped it in with Emma's presents and then knocked.

He heard laughter, shuffling and then saw the door open to a dressed-down, but beautiful Sabrina.

"Patrick? What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Hi... Can I come in?"

Sabrina looked nervously toward the swinging door that led to her kitchen. "Um... Yeah, I guess," and waved him in.

He noticed the TV was on and playing A Christmas Story, which he knew was Sabrina's favorite Christmas movie. When he didn't speak right away, Sabrina cleared her throat and said, "I, ah, didn't expect to see you today since Robin came home."

He held up the bag. "Emma and Robin are in the car. We're going to Anna's for a last-minute dinner, but Emma loved your presents so much that she insisted you to have these today - on Christmas."

Sabrina reached out and grabbed the bag, brushing Patrick's hand in the process. She flinched and then pulled her hand back suddenly as if in pain. "Oh. Well, please tell Emma thanks for me."

"Sure," Patrick said, smiling. He glanced over his shoulder at the door. "I guess I should be going..."

Sabrina swallowed and straightened her spine. "Your family is waiting for you."

Patrick opened his mouth, but before he could get any words out, Sabrina's kitchen door swung open and Will Foster emerged, smiling brightly. "And... The dishes are done, as promised..."

When Will saw Patrick, he stopped. "Drake."

"Foster. What are you doing here?"

Will crossed his arms defensively and said, "Sharing Christmas dinner with a friend. What are you doing here?Shouldn't you be celebrating your wife's timely Christmas return?"

At that, Sabrina spoke up. "Robin and Emma are waiting. You should probably get back to them."

Patrick took her hint when she walked past him to open her door. Grudgingly, he took the hint and turned around to walk back outside her apartment, but paused just after crossing the threshold. "Merry Christmas, Sabrina."

Sabrina replied with a "Merry Christmas, Patrick," right before closing the door in his face.


	10. Chapter 10

New Years Eve. The Haunted Star.

"Thanks so much, Lulu," Sabrina said as she followed Lulu into the office. "I can't believe I'm such as klutz."

When Lulu looked at her funny, Sabrina responded with a chuckle and added, "Okay. I can believe it. I just had hoped not to be tonight."

Lulu went behind the desk and began rummaging in the drawers. "It's no problem, Sabrina. I know Maxie put a sewing kit in here for fashion emergencies."

A few moments later, Lulu exclaimed, "Aha!" and pulled out a kit. When she asked if Sabrina needed help, Sabrina declined and said, "No, I'll manage. It's almost midnight and I'm sure you would rather be with Dante when the clock strikes twelve." Sabrina waved the kit. "I'll just take this to the restroom and fix my dress there."

Lulu smiled. "Nonsense. Stay here and fix it." As she walked past Sabrina to exit, she added, "Just pull the door shut when you're done. It will lock automatically behind you. Oh, and don't take too long. I think Will has been looking forward to midnight..."

Sabrina blushed as Lulu exited, leaving the door open behind her. Sabrina was hard at work on the tear in her dress when she heard the door latch. Confused, she looked up to see what had caused it to close and was startled to see Patrick standing there with his hand on the doorknob.

"What are you doing here?" Sabrina asked harshly.

"We need to talk and apparently cornering you is the only way to do it. So, here I am."

* * *

Patrick was pissed. He'd tried all week to talk to Sabrina about their situation but the woman basically refused to acknowledge his existence. She wouldn't answer his calls or texts and avoided him like the plague at the hospital. The very few times he did manage to see her at work, she was professional but extremely distant if he even attempted to discuss anything not related to a patient. Although she'd avoided him last year after their breakup (for which he couldn't blame her), he wasn't prepared for the cold shoulder now - not with things left unsettled between them.

Patrick hadn't wanted to come to the New Years Eve party tonight, but Robin had dragged him out in an effort to reconnect. To say that things between him and his wife were awkward would be an understatement. She wanted everything to go back to the way it was, but he was having a hard time letting go of his anger and frustration over her abandonment and refusal to come home when Gabriel died. He wanted space, but she didn't seem to know the meaning of the word, assuming instead that staying in his constant proximity would endear him toward her.

When they arrived, Robin clung to his side and smiled happily to give the illusion that everything was fine between them. Patrick managed to make polite conversation as he went through the motions of a doting husband and had been doing admirably until Sabrina showed up - on the arm of her "friend" Will Foster.

The second Patrick saw her, he genuinely smiled. She was dressed in a black cocktail dress he'd never seen before that made her look stunning. His smile faltered, however, the moment Foster walked in behind her and reached for her hand. When she glanced at him, smiling brightly, and placed her hand in his, Patrick nearly lost it.

He watched her as she socialized pleasantly with the other party guests while hanging on Foster's arm. When they were at the bar, they leaned in to talk way closer than necessary. Patrick was hurt by Sabrina nonchalance until he saw her stumble and bump into the corner of a table - ripping her dress in the process - after glancing his way just as Robin leaned in to kiss him on his cheek in front of her family.

Bolstered by Sabrina's reaction, Patrick's mood lifted. It rose even further when he saw her detach from Foster and follow Lulu into the office. When Lulu came out alone a few minutes later, Patrick seized the opportunity and excused himself to go to the restroom. Leaving Robin with her family, he snuck into the office, immediately closing the door behind him.

When Sabrina, who was leaning against the desk sewing her dress, heard the door latch, she looked up confusedly. She frowned when she saw him and asked what he was doing there, so he admitted to cornering her.

Sabrina finished mending her dress and put the needle back in the kit on the desk. Turning to face him, she said, "Patrick, your wife is home. We are over."

Sabrina walked toward him, but stopped when she reached him, as he was blocking the exit. "Can you please move? Will is waiting for me. And I'm sure your wife is wondering where you are."

"No."

"No?"

"No. You need to know that I had absolutely no idea she was coming home last week. I was as shocked to see Robin as you were."

"That may be, but based on what I've seen tonight, you picked up right where you left off, so that leaves no room for you and me."

Patrick stepped closer to Sabrina and said, "Appearances can be deceiving."

"Okay, so, then answer me this. Are you and your wife splitting up?"

Patrick answered honesty. "I don't know."

"Then please get out of my way, because unless you are leaving her, we have nothing to discuss." Sabrina raised her hand and waved her index finger between them. "This thing between us is over. I won't be your mistress now that she is home."

"I never asked you to. I just need some time to figure things out."

Sabrina crossed her arms, which accentuated her breasts - and the locket snuggled between them. She laughed and said sarcastically. "Because that worked out so well for me last time..."

"Sabrina," he started, but got cut off by her. "No, Patrick. I'm not doing this again. Time won't change anything and I'm not playing the waiting game only to end up the loser."

He stepped inches away from her, raised his hand, and gently clasped the locket he'd bought her in his fingers. "You know as well as I do that this isn't a game."

Sabrina used her hand to loosen his fingers off the locket and stepped back. "And that's the problem, isn't it? I knew this was a bad idea because I would fall in love with you all over again, but I foolishly did it anyway - and now I'm paying the price."

Bolstered by Sabrina's inadvertent confession of love, Patrick said what he felt. "I don't think I can let you go, Sabrina, because, somewhere in the middle of all of this, I realized I'm still in love with you." When her face started to look hopeful, he added, "But, I don't know if I can leave Robin."


	11. Chapter 11

Sabrina, exasperated by the man's inability to make a choice despite his confession of love, threw her hands in the air. "So, once again, you love me, but not enough to move on from Robin." She gritted her teeth and shook her head as she mumbled to herself. Then she ducked around him to the closed door, outside of which she could hear the partygoers counting down to the new year. As she turned the knob, Sabrina glanced over her shoulder and said, "Goodbye, Patrick."

However, before she could open the door more than a crack, Patrick came up behind her and pushed it shut with his hand. Unable to counter his leverage and affected by his nearness, Sabrina whispered, "Please..."

He leaned in closer so his body was against her back and murmured, "Please, what?"

When she leaned back into him, he used his other arm to encircle her waist the way he used to. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to inhale his scent and said, "Let me go."

As the partygoers began the countdown, Patrick grabbed her hip with his hand and used his hold to turn her so they were face-to-face.

EIGHT!

He backed her gently against the door and slid his hand downward until it was level with her face and then cupped her cheek. "I wish I could, but I can't... And I don't think that you want me to."

FIVE!

Sabrina knew she should push him away and storm out, but she couldn't. Instead, she let go of the doorknob and brought her hand to the back of his neck to pull him toward her as she wrapped her other hand around his waist.

THREE!

Sabrina shook her head and uttered a barely audible "No." Then, she locked eyes with Patrick, who was staring at her with the same look of love and confusion she'd seen after their non-wedding.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sabrina swallowed convulsively. "What are we going to do?"

In response, Patrick's hand traveled from her cheek to her chin and he used his fingers to tip her face upward just before his lips landed on hers.

Sabrina reveled in the feel of Patrick's lips on hers again, so she gave into the kiss with everything in her. The past week had been horrible, as she'd missed him fiercely, but knew distancing herself from him and Emma was the right (and best) thing to do now that Robin showed up. Sabrina could rationalize sleeping with Patrick while Robin was away, but she wouldn't do it under the woman's nose. So, Sabrina deleted every voicemail and text message Patrick sent her and avoided him at work unless absolutely necessary.

She hadn't planned to come tonight, but Will had been an amazing friend to her since he found her balling her eyes out on Christmas Eve, so she accepted his invitation. He comforted her without asking too many questions and they ended up going for coffee and talking again. With Felix in NC and Patrick and Emma suddenly unavailable for Christmas dinner, Sabrina impulsively invited Will over when he mentioned not having any holiday plans.

During their dinner, which Will insisted on eating in front of the TV so they could watch her movie, Sabrina laughed and had a nice time. She'd been thrown by Patrick's appearance, but shook it off until Will left. Later, while Sabrina marveled at Patrick's thoughtful gift that was mixed in with Emma's presents, she also strengthened her resolve to save her sanity by letting go and looking toward a future - again - without them in her life.

As the cheers outside the door grew louder, they seeped into Sabrina's consciousness. Realizing where they were and what was happening, Sabrina ripped her lips from his and pushed Patrick away from her.

"We can't do this," Sabrina said on a shakey breath. "You're married and I'm a fool for thinking this would end differently."

Sabrina shushed Patrick when he went to speak because she couldn't stomach another excuse or plea for time to make up his mind. "Go ahead. Take your time. Think things through. But don't expect me to wait around while you do it."

Sabrina grabbed the doorknob with one hand and raised her other hand to keep him at bay. Then, she opened the door and left without another word.

* * *

When the door closed behind Sabrina, Patrick doubled over to catch his breath. He knew she'd just walked out of his life and it had literally knocked the wind out of him.

He wanted desperately to chase her, but he was convinced that anything less than an admission his marriage was over wouldn't be enough. Despite the fact that these few minutes with Sabrina had been the best of his week, Patrick wasn't ready to throw in the towel yet. He owed it to Emma to at least attempt to put things back together with Robin.

Patrick checked the watch on his wrist (that had been the gift in the box from Sabrina) and saw he'd been gone about fifteen minutes, which would let him tell Robin that he went to the restroom and then got a call from the hospital. He hated lying, but seeing Sabrina was worth it.

When Patrick exited the office, he hugged the wall until he was far enough away from the office to appear as if he'd been elsewhere. When Robin saw him, she ran up to him and asked where he was that he missed their midnight kiss.

As he was giving her his rehearsed speech, Patrick spied Sabrina and Foster out of the corner of his eye just as he leaned in to give her a New Year's kiss. Patrick lost his train of thought when, instead of quickly pulling away the way "friends" would, Sabrina and Will melted into their embrace.

"Patrick?!"

Without losing sight of them, he said, "Huh?"

"You were saying something about the hospital and stopped." She paused and then asked, "What are you looking at?"

Patrick tore his eyes away from the couple. Before he could say "Nothing," he saw Robin spot them.

Robin patted him on the arm and said pityingly, "I guess it's tough to see her with someone else, huh?"

"You have no idea."

"Well, I imagine you'll get used to it. She was wonderful to you and Emma, so I'm glad Sabrina found someone to move on with." Then Robin smiled brightly and added, "And I'm sure you will be, too, once you get over the shock."

When Robin turned and grabbed his hand to pull him toward her family, Patrick muttered, "I doubt it," to himself.


	12. Chapter 12

As Sabrina entered her apartment, Will close on her heels, she said, "I'm really sorry about that."

Will chuckled. "For what? I always love a good awkward dinner party."

As Will closed the door, Sabrina stopped and turned to face him. "That was beyond awkward. I know Emma wanted me there, but I can't imagine why Patrick didn't talk Robin out of it. He had to know that me, him and Robin in that house, Emma or not, would be beyond weird."

Will walked over to her and lightly grasped her upper arms. Then he said, "I think Drake didn't stop it because he wanted an excuse to see you."

"What?"

"You've been giving the guy - your friend, who you were joined at the hip with the entire time I've known you - the cold shoulder since New Years. He misses you."

"Well, I just thought it was best now that his wife is home to make myself a little scarcer in their lives so that they can readjust." Sabrina stepped out of his grasp and put her purse, coat and keys on the couch.

Will rolled his eyes as he removed his coat. "Is that the reason? Or, is it because you don't want Robin finding out you've been sleeping with her husband?"

At that, Sabrina froze and stared at Will. When he gave her a knowing look, she scrambled to play off his comment. "Of course we slept together, Will. We were engaged and I had his baby."

"Not then, Sabrina. Now."

"What are you talking about?"

Sabrina sat down and Will walked over to her and sat next to her. "I know you were sleeping with Drake. I was suspicious that day in the locker room and on New Years when I saw him follow you into the office, but tonight confirmed it."

"Oh, God. How?"

"The two of you tried way too hard to act as if nothing was going on. It was actually kind of entertaining."

Sabrina buried her face in her hands and shook her head. When she lifted it she looked into Will's amused eyes. "Do you think Robin knows?"

"No. And I won't say anything."

"You won't?"

"No. First, I'm in no position to judge and second I care about you too much to hurt you like that."

"You aren't mad at me for using you as a cover?"

"Naw," Will said, smiling as he brushed a strand of hair off her face. "I'm glad you did it because it gave me a chance to get to know you."

Sabrina smiled back at him despite her embarrassment and grabbed his hand to put it between her two. "I'm glad, too, Will Foster."

Will got serious and then said, "I can tell you are hung up on Drake, but I was hoping you would consider giving us a chance. I really like you and I think we could be good together."

Sabrina thought a moment. Then, she leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I really like you, too, Will, and I'm open to seeing where this goes, but you need to know that I'm not just hung up on Patrick - I'm in love with him. I don't want to hurt you by leading you on."

"Sabrina, I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself." Then, he stood up and pulled her up with him. He stepped closer to Sabrina so that they were nearly flush against each other. "And... I've got ways to make you forget all about Patrick Drake when you're with me," he added with a sly wink.

Sabrina had to admit the guy wasn't lying. Ever since he stepped close to her, all she could think about was their kiss on New Years when she'd been pulled into his embrace despite her intent to keep some distance between them after what had happened with Patrick in the office. Sabrina laughed happily and decided to play along. "Oh really? And what would those be?"

Will leaned in and whispered some of his ideas in her ear, which caused Sabrina's internal thermometer to rise several degrees. Then, he pulled back slightly and wiggled his eyebrows in a 'see why women can't resist me' kind of way. "So? What do you think?"

Sabrina let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Hmm... I think you are very creative, but I'm not convinced you can deliver on those promises."

Will reared back slightly and faked a wounded look. Then he abruptly encircled her waist with his hands and pulled her against him. "We'll just see about that," he said right before he kissed her.

* * *

Patrick grumpily loaded the dishwasher as Robin chattered on and on about how nice the night went. As far as Patrick was concerned, the whole thing had been an awkward disaster. He had not been thrilled about Sabrina and Foster coming for dinner, but since it was to celebrate Emma's success at her winter dance recital, he couldn't say no. Emma loved Sabrina and, despite having her mom home, often confessed to missing her. She thought she'd done something wrong since Sabrina wasn't coming around anymore, not realizing that she was stuck in the middle of a very complicated and possibly explosive grown-up game, so he wanted to make her happy.

He thought the cold shoulder before their New Years kiss was bad, but Sabrina had surpassed it since then. She had literally cut off all personal communication between them. He had resorted to bringing Emma to work once a week (when Sabrina was working) just to get face time with her. Unfortunately, Sabrina fawned over Emma but ignored him as much as possible by taking her to the cafe or lunchroom for "girl time".

The fact that he missed Sabrina so much some days that it hurt to breathe was the second reason he caved to the dinner idea. If Sabrina was in the house with him in front of Robin and Emma, then she would be forced to pay attention to him. Patrick had been excited when he opened the door and saw her standing there until Foster, who'd forgotten something in the car, sidled up behind her. Patrick should have gotten a medal for the level of self-control he'd conjured up not to punch the guy out every time he touched, flirted with or kissed her cheek or hand affectionately. Then, after several painful hours of tense interaction, Foster gave him a knowing wink as he left with Sabrina, which really stuck in Patrick's craw. What the hell was that about?

"Earth to Patrick? Are you there?"

"Huh?" He said as he shoved a plate into the dishwasher tray.

"You haven't heard a word I said, have you?"

"Uh, no, sorry." When Robin frowned, Patrick made up an excuse about being preoccupied over an upcoming surgery.

"I was saying how great it was to see Emma so happy tonight."

"Yeah, well, she misses Sabrina. She got pretty attached to her again while you were gone."

"Yeah... I kinda noticed." When Patrick looked up, surprised at her pissy tone, Robin hedged, "Seems she isn't the only one."

"What?"

"You're still having a really hard time seeing her with Will. Is there a reason for that?" Robin asked suspiciously.

Patrick, desperate to deflect her, said, "I just don't like the guy. He is a player and she will get hurt. I don't want that for Sabrina after everything she has been through."

"Everyone likes Will."

"I don't." Patrick said as he slammed the dishwasher shut.

"Honestly, Patrick, I think you would find a problem with any guy Sabrina started dating."

"What? That's ludicrous."

Robin crossed her arms. "I don't think so. I think you are jealous because you aren't over her."

"If you say so. Listen, I'm tired. I have surgery tomorrow morning. I'm going to bed."

"Where?"

"Where I go every night."

Robin sighed. "This has to stop, Patrick. We can't put our marriage back together if you keep avoiding me."

Patrick walked toward the kitchen door and said. "We've been through this. I'm trying, but I just need some time. Too much has happened for us to pick up where we left off."

Robin walked over to where he was standing and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I miss you. I want my husband back."

He stepped out of her embrace. "Well, I wanted you to stay here, but you didn't. Then, I wanted you to come home while I grieved my son, but you didn't. Sometimes we can't have what we want, Robin."

Patrick turned on his heel and walked to the guest bedroom as Robin looked on, crying silently.


	13. Chapter 13

Valentine's Day…

"Hold the elevator!" Patrick shouted as he ran through the Metro Court lobby. Because of the thunderstorm outside, he was running later than he intended for his dinner with Robin, who was already waiting in the restaurant upstairs. Patrick entered the elevator and shook the water from his trench coat, absently muttering, "Thanks." as he did so.

He heard a female voice say, "No problem," and he froze. When he looked up, he saw that it was Sabrina standing by the control panel, having just hit the 'close door' button.

"Sabrina."

Sabrina smiled slightly and said, "Hello, Patrick," and then leaned her hip against the wall as she returned her attention to something on her iPhone.

Patrick, who couldn't stop staring at her, asked, "How are you?"

"Fine," she said inattentively, not looking up from her phone. "You?"

"I miss you."

His statement must have gotten her attention because her head popped up from whatever she was doing and looked at him surprisedly. When she didn't speak, he asked, "How is the new job?"

Sabrina smiled the first genuine smile he'd seen since Christmas Eve. "It's wonderful. I love it in the NICU. I miss working with Liz and Fe, but we get together for lunch pretty often, so that helped to make the transition easier."

As much as he missed seeing her, Patrick truly wished her well, so he said, "I'm glad." Then, he added (just to torture himself), "How's Foster?"

"Good. I'm meeting him upstairs for our Valentine's dinner." Sabrina looked over at him and noticed he was also dressed up, so she asked if he was meeting Robin. When he nodded, she asked, "So, it's going well?"

Patrick shrugged. "We're adjusting. Trying to work through some things."

When Sabrina said, "I hope it works out for you," he knew that she truly meant it. After her statement, Sabrina's phone vibrated. She laughed lightly and then responded to the message, ignoring Patrick.

Just as Patrick was about to pull out his phone to text Robin and let her know he'd be there momentarily, the elevator jolted. As they held onto the rail around the walls concerndly, the lights went out and the motor stopped.

Standing in the pitch black, Patrick uttered, "What the hell?" and then asked Sabrina if she was okay.

She said yes and then added, "What is going on?"

As Patrick was about to say he didn't know, the dim emergency lighting turned on and a voice came out of the speaker in the control panel letting them know that the electric had gone out and that it tripped the circuit for the elevator. As soon as the emergency generator got up to full power, it should resume operating.

When fifteen minutes had passed with no progress, Patrick got pissed off and punched the wall, which actually managed to get Sabrina's attention from her damn phone. "Whoa, Patrick! Calm down. I'm sure we'll be out of here shortly."

Patrick, frustrated not only at his day but at his life since Christmas, muttered, "I'll bet you can't wait for that."

"What?"

Patrick pointed at her phone. "God forbid you give me the time of day anymore, Sabrina. What the hell is so interesting on there that you can't be bothered to talk to me?"

Sabrina harrumphed and then angrily dropped her phone into her tiny clutch purse. Then she looked him in the eye and said, "It's just easier this way, Patrick. I can't get over you if you're a part of my life."

* * *

Sabrina knew cutting ties with Patrick hurt him, but she didn't have a choice if she even wanted a prayer of getting over him. She'd worked so hard over the last few weeks to focus on her new job in the NICU and her budding relationship with Will and now it was all in jeopardy thanks to a chance elevator meeting. It had taken every ounce of willpower within her to ignore Patrick, who she missed tremendously. In his suit and tie with his five o'clock shadow, he looked just as handsome as ever and all the love she'd worked to suppress came flooding back.

Sabrina, angry at herself, opened her coat and began fanning herself with her purse. When Patrick asked if she was okay, she played it off and said she just felt like it was stuffy. The purse, which wasn't working to begin with, became even more useless when he said, out of the blue, "You look beautiful."

Surprised by his admission, Sabrina smiled and said, "Thanks." She was about to compliment him when he added, "I really like the dress... It's 'festive' for the holiday."

Sabrina looked down at her dress, which was the same red wrap dress that she'd worn on Christmas Eve, the last time they'd made love, and inwardly cringed. She'd worn it tonight because it was the only red dress she owned, but now all she could think about was Patrick unwrapping her 'present'.

Before she could think of a response, Patrick took a few steps to close some of the distance between them and turned to face her. Then he leaned in and whispered, "You know what I wonder?"

"What?" she asked, breathlessly.

His hand moved to trace the v-neck of the dress right before he said, "If you've got a special present under there for Foster, just like you did for me?"

Shocked at not only his words, but his derisive tone, Sabrina stared at him wide-eyed. When he smirked knowingly, Sabrina's hand flew up involuntarily and connected with his cheek, making a loud cracking noise.


	14. Chapter 14

Sabrina was fuming as the slap she'd given Patrick lingered in the air between them. How dare he take something special she'd done out of love for him and turn it into something cheap!

Immediately after her slap, Patrick reeled back and touched his cheek, likely more out of surprise that she'd slapped him than any true pain. Sabrina locked eyes with Patrick and conveyed her hurt at his comment. The fact that they'd been engaged in an affair at the time did not, at least in her mind, make anything they'd done together meaningless and cheap. He stared back at her, his own anger and frustration evident in his eyes. Sabrina let out growl-like sigh. If Patrick was unhappy with his situation, it wasn't her fault or responsibility and she refused to feel sorry for him. The man could not have his cake and eat it too and she would not be his mistress now that Robin was back. If he wanted her, then he would have to leave his wife. Otherwise, he needed to let her live her life on her own terms.

They stood there staring at each other in the dim emergency lighting for what felt like ages until Patrick shocked her to her core. Without warning, he stalked toward her, a predatory gleam in his eyes, captured her face with his hands and yanked her toward him for a searing kiss. Sabrina unconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck as he backed them into the wall. Once there, Patrick's hands released her face and crept the length of her arms. When his hands met hers, he unclasped them from around his neck, laced their fingers and reached upward until their joined hands were above her head against the wall.

Eventually, Patrick broke their kiss and began trailing kisses all along her face and down her neck as he pressed into her body. Sabrina moaned in pleasure and responded in kind, crushing her body against his, as their hands slid slowly down the wall behind them. Patrick worked his way back up the other side of her chest and neck until their lips met again. Desperate to make him burn the way she was, Sabrina yanked her hands from his and pushed at his shoulders, breaking the kiss and sending him backward.

Sabrina used Patrick's momentary confusion to take control of the situation. She removed her trenchcoat and moved toward him. When she reached him, she ripped his coat from his body, threw it on the floor, and then pushed him until he slammed against the opposite wall. Smiling seductively, Sabrina pounced, crushing herself against him and giving him a passionate kiss.

As she kissed him, she loosened and removed Patrick's tie and untucked his shirt from his dress pants, allowing her hands to roam over his torso. Patrick retaliated by tugging forcefully on the fabric that held her dress closed. Once the material hung loosely at her sides, his hands began traveling all over her body. Then, he regained control by encircling his arms around her and pivoting so Sabrina was once again sandwiched between him and the wall.

They continued kissing and touching each other in a frenzied manner. Just as Sabrina, desperate to be one with him, unbuckled his belt and began unfastening his pants, the lights came on.

* * *

Patrick, lost in the throes of passion with Sabrina, had just reached to divest her of her lingerie when the damn lights came back on. Like a bucket of ice water, they brought Patrick back to his senses. He abruptly pushed away from Sabrina and moved to the other side of the elevator to regain his composure. A few more minutes and the two of them would have been going at like rabbits. Patrick couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly as he imagined the doors opening to a worried Robin and Foster only to reveal that scene.

Patrick stared at Sabrina leaning against the wall for support, disheveled yet breathtaking. She pulled her dress closed and then looked at him with eyes full of confusion and asked, "What the hell was that?"

Before Patrick could answer, a voice came over the speaker in the panel calling his name. When he answered, the voice said that they reset the elevator and that it should be moving toward the restaurant momentarily.

With that, Sabrina began panicking and muttering "Oh, God." She turned to face the wall and let her dress briefly fall open so she could re-align it. She tied it shut angrily and attempted to fix her hair (which, in Patrick's estimation, was useless). She took a deep breath and turned around. "Could you please hand me my purse?" she asked on a whisper.

He bent down and picked up her purse from where she'd dropped it when he'd kissed her and handed it to her. Sabrina dug around a moment and pulled out a hair clip. While Patrick marveled at the fact that she could fit a clip in that teeny tiny purse, Sabrina kneeled down and put it on the floor. Then, she ran her hands through her hair and twisted it into a loose updo that she secured with the clip. She briefly looked up at him and said, "I can probably blame the wind and rain for this," as she pointed to her hair. While she fixed her makeup, Patrick went to work on righting himself.

Sabrina was just standing up as the elevator jolted. He reached to steady her, but she said "I'm fine," and pulled away to pick up her trench coat and then handed him his.

Patrick took the coat from her and donned it. He wanted to say a million things to her in that moment, but didn't know where to start. "Sabrina…" was all he managed to get out before she cut him off.

Sabrina looked straight ahead toward the doors, coat and purse in hand, and declared, "I love you, Patrick. But if you want her, then you can't have me. This can never _ever_ happen again."

When the doors opened, Sabrina stepped out into Foster's waiting arms without a backward glance.

Patrick heard Foster fussing over her and Sabrina trying to reassure him as he stepped out and came face-to-face with his wife.

"Are you okay, Patrick?" she asked worriedly.

"Fine," was all he said as he grabbed Robin by the elbow and escorted her into the restaurant.


	15. Chapter 15

One month later…

Sabrina checked her watch as she closed her locker door and wondered why Will hadn't shown up yet to meet her to leave for their date. She'd covered for Liz in the ER today and was fortunate to get to spend a good deal of the time assisting Will, who was an excellent doctor with the perfect blend of professionalism and charm. Since they worked the same hours, which was rare, they agreed to go to dinner after work instead of just hanging out at one of their apartments. Sabrina walked to the exit and was about to open the door when a soaking wet Will burst through it looking none too pleased. "What the heck happened to you?" Sabrina asked, barely containing her laughter.

He began walking by her to his locker, which was in the same row as Patrick's, and grumbled, "A visitor coming into the ER with a carrier of beverages from McDonald's was too involved in his phone as he turned the corner to notice me coming from the other direction." As he angrily opened his locker door and grabbed out his toiletry bag and change of clothes, he continued, "Yet, somehow, it's MY fault we crashed."

When he muttered, "Dumbass," Sabrina couldn't help herself and burst out in hysterical laughter. Will paused and looked at her as tears flowed from her eyes and her face reddened. "I'm glad you're amused by my pain," he said sarcastically.

Sabrina put a hand to her mouth and held up the other in his direction. Between breaths, she managed, "Sorry… It's just… Usually… This stuff happens to me..." Then, she sobered and asked if he was okay.

"I'll be fine," Will said as he pulled off his shirt and tossed in into the laundry bin. When he untied his pants and stepped out of them, he added, "I just need to rinse off before we go."

As Sabrina watched him undress, memories of their recent lovemaking flooded her mind and she grew silent. If Milo was a "10", then Will was a "15". Aside from being built like a god (which she knew was attributed to many hours at the gym), he was considerate and extremely thorough. Oh, and he made good on nearly every suggestion he'd had the night of the dinner party to make sure that when they were together all she would think about was him.

Will, standing there in his boxer briefs, must have grown concerned over her silence because he asked, "Sabrina? Are you alright?" Blushing to the tips of her ears, she coughed and managed to squeak out a "Yeah," which prompted Will to turn his attention from his locker to look at her. When he noticed her blush, he must have realized what she was thinking about because he smiled wickedly.

Sabrina cleared her throat and then walked up to him and said, "I'll wait outside while you rinse off, but don't take too long, okay?" When she kissed him quickly on the lips and went to walk away toward the exit, he grabbed her hand. Will shook his head and said, "Nah-uh," and then hauled her back to him for a real kiss.

As they stood there making out, passion began to cloud her other senses and she could only focus on Will and the feel of his lips on hers and the trail of fire his hands left as they roamed her body beneath her shirt. Sabrina was so lost in Will that she never heard the locker room door open, the footsteps drawing near or the startled "Oh!" that erupted at the same time as an angry "What the?!"

Will must have heard it, though, because he quickly broke their kiss and then looked at Sabrina, willing her not to be embarrassed over being caught making out with him. Honestly, she was more annoyed they'd been interrupted than embarrassed at being caught, but, she pasted a bright smile on her face and turned around, still in Will's embrace, to face their visitors.

Sabrina was about to politely apologize (as was her nature), when she realized it was Robin and Patrick who'd caught them. While Robin attempted to look everywhere but at them, Patrick, who stood behind her, looked as if he was about two seconds away from committing murder.

* * *

Ever since the elevator incident on Valentine's Day, Patrick decided that he had to make a resolution about his life. While Emma would always be a consideration, he couldn't let her dictate his happiness, so, after dinner, he told Robin he wanted to start seeing Kevin Collins about their marriage. If they went to Kevin and things didn't improve in a few months, then he would know it was time to throw in the towel.

At Kevin's urging, Patrick had moved back into the bedroom with Robin because it was a necessary step for Patrick to determine whether or not his and Robin's marriage could still work. The first few nights were awkward, but he and Robin were eventually able to reconnect and things were going better than they had been. Patrick, who hadn't seen Sabrina since that day in the elevator, did still think about her a lot and even found himself sometimes wishing that she was the woman lying next to him at night.

Robin, who was back on staff in the lab now that the notoriety of reviving Jason had died down, had come with Patrick to work today so that they could go to a session before their shifts. During their session, Kevin suggested they go to a couple's retreat for a weekend to see if time alone away from the demands of their hectic lives would help, so they were discussing what to do about Emma as they walked into the locker room – and smack into Sabrina and Foster making out.

Robin turned the corner first and stopped mid-stride to utter a shocked "Oh!" and Patrick, who'd been slightly behind her, bumped into her. Curious as to what caused her to stop suddenly, he looked up and saw Sabrina and Foster practically inhaling each other and an angry "What the?!" escaped his lips before he could stop himself.

Patrick's surprise turned to jealous rage as Sabrina, completely oblivious to her surroundings and the fact that she was in a semi-public place, practically mauled the guy. He balled his hands into fists as he watched, unable to look away, until Foster realized they were there. When he broke their kiss, Patrick saw Foster's eyes spot them and then travel back to Sabrina, reassuring her not to be embarrassed at being caught.

Sabrina nodded slightly and then turned around within Foster's embrace with a bright (but fake) smile. Patrick knew that look and sensed she was annoyed more at the interruption than being caught, which pissed him off even more, so he made no effort to mask his anger in front of her.

Sabrina's eyes grew wide when she saw the look on his face, but her smile didn't budge. She took a breath and greeted them cheerfully.

Robin fell all over herself to apologize for interrupting them, to which Sabrina responded brightly, "It's no problem, Robin, honestly," as she laid her hands on top of Foster's. Then, ever polite, Sabrina asked after her and Emma as Foster took her hands in his, which were still circled around her waist.

As Robin talked about Emma, Sabrina leaned back into the guy's body as if he wasn't standing there practically naked and Patrick's blood pressure continued to rise. When Foster kissed the spot on her neck she liked so much, Patrick growled under his breath. Then, he looked up, smirked at Patrick, and interrupted Robin and Sabrina. "I'll leave you all to talk while I rinse off so that we can make it to dinner."

He gave Sabrina, who turned her head slightly, a quick kiss on the lips and then moved away from her. Foster grabbed his toiletries and change of clothes and then stopped and glanced back to address Robin. "Have you had a chance to try out the new showers?"

"Uh, no, not yet," she answered in a baffled voice.

"Well, you really should. They're very refreshing."

After Robin said, "Thanks, I'll do that," and returned her attention to Sabrina, Foster gave Patrick a sly wink before resuming his trek. Patrick glanced from Foster's retreating form to Sabrina, who was trying hard not to blush at the comment in front of Robin, and knew that Will knew everything.


	16. Chapter 16

As the water turned on, Sabrina cut Robin's chatter off. "We have dinner reservations, so I'm going to head out and wait for Will outside. It was good to see you both." She grabbed her purse from the bench where she'd set it down earlier. "Please tell Emma hello for me."

While Sabrina was secretly thrilled with Patrick's jealousy, she had no wish to remain in their presence for any longer than necessary, especially since Will's shower comment had her remembering just how refreshing the new showers were. Sabrina couldn't trust herself not to blush and give away everything, so she figured a hasty exit was the best idea. Will would definitely pay for that comment later. And pay. And pay. And pay.

Before Sabrina could leave, though, Robin stopped her. She glanced at Patrick, who remained silent and still as a stone, and then said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure."

"I know this probably is a bad idea, but would you be willing to watch Emma for us next weekend?"

"Um…"

"Patrick and I have to go out of town unexpectedly and no one else is available. I hate to ask, but we're kind of desperate."

Sabrina looked between Patrick and Robin and said, "I'm not sure if it's a good idea, Robin. It's been hard for Emma to adjust to me being in and out of her life and I wouldn't want to confuse her."

Robin sighed. "She loves you and really misses you, so if you could find the time, it would mean a lot to her – and to us – if you would watch her."

At that, Robin elbowed Patrick. "Patrick, say something..."

Patrick shook his head as if to free up the cobwebs that had taken root there. "Please, Sabrina? I know you miss her as much as she misses you."

Sabrina had only managed to get out an, "I'll think about it," when Will came out from his shower dressed in a tight t-shirt and faded jeans that looked really, really good on him. Sabrina turned her attention to him as he shoved his stuff in his locker, brushed a hand through his hair and sat to put on his sneakers. When Will stood up, he pushed the door shut and came up beside her.

"Ready to go?" he asked warmly as he grabbed her hand and kissed it. "We've got a lot to do tonight."

"Absolutely," she said as she squeezed his hand. "I can't wait." Then, Sabrina turned toward Robin and Patrick and said her goodbyes. When she walked out of the locker room hand-in-hand with Will, she put Patrick Drake out of her mind.

* * *

When Sabrina left, Patrick turned toward Robin and said, "I really wish you hadn't asked her to watch Emma."

"Why?"

"It's just a bad idea."

"Well, no one else is free, so Sabrina is the best option we have if we want to go to the retreat."

Patrick muttered, "I guess," as he opened his locker and started to change into his scrubs for his shift.

Robin, whose locker was down the aisle from his did the same and then asked, "Are you alright? You barely said two words while Sabrina was here."

"Fine."

Robin broke the silence Patrick was grateful for by saying, "I can definitely see why Sabrina gave in to Will's pursuit. He's like Magic Milo on crack."

Patrick stepped into his scrubs angrily, "How do you even know about Milo?"

"Women talk. And, I did see the video of last year's ball. But, regardless, Sabrina seems happy and I'm glad for her. I still feel bad about upending her life like that after everything she did for Emma - and for you."

"Uh-huh," Patrick muttered as he pulled on his shirt.

Robin finished changing first and then came over to Patrick. "I'll see you later?"

He said, "Yeah," and she kissed him on the cheek. After the door closed behind her, Patrick punched the locker next to his. Then, he grabbed his lab coat, shoved his pager and cell in the pockets and slammed the locker door shut – hard.

As Patrick exited the locker room, he thought about how it was going to be a long shift if he couldn't get the sight of Sabrina and Foster kissing out of his head. Since he had a pretty good idea of what Foster's plans entailed for the evening, he doubted that the vision would be exiting any time soon.


	17. Chapter 17

The Nurses Ball.

Patrick was having a shitty night and wished he was anywhere but the Ball. While he'd been mildly entertained, the ongoing drama with Emma and her suitors, Spencer and Cameron, had grown even less amusing now that Josslyn was thrown into the mix. Instead of the boys fighting over Emma, she and Joss were fighting over them. On top of that, Robin was insistent on using the night to celebrate how they'd overcome most of their difficulties since her trip, so she'd been overly attentive and clingy. He was glad they'd gotten back to where they were thanks to counseling, but he didn't feel a need to advertise it to the whole town. And then there was Sabrina.

Sabrina showed up tonight, radiant, on the arm of Will Foster. He hadn't seen or spoken to her much (other than polite chitchat in the cafeteria) since catching them making out in the locker room and, from what he could tell, Will had used the time to his advantage. Sabrina rarely left Foster's side and unabashedly flirted with and planted mini-kisses him at ridiculously frequent intervals, making Patrick want to puke. Given how Foster fervently returned and one-upped her advances, Patrick figured he was a few months away from packing in his playboy ways for a white picket fence. The thought of Foster proposing to Sabrina brought on a headache, so, during some act or another near the end of the Ball, Patrick excused himself and made a beeline for the bar.

He had just gotten his beer and turned around to go back to his table when he bumped into someone. He absently muttered, "Sorry," and was about to be on his way when he recognized Sabrina's scent. He stopped and stared at her, mesmerized by her beauty.

Sabrina smiled and said, "It's okay, Patrick. No harm done."

When Patrick wouldn't move, Sabrina glanced around him and gestured with her head as she said, "Do you mind?"

Coming to his senses, Patrick responded, "Oh, sorry. No. Go ahead."

"Thanks!" Sabrina said cheerily as she stepped around him and put in her and Foster's drink orders. Patrick, unable to leave, lingered behind her. "So, ah, how've you been?"

Sabrina pivoted and placed an elbow on the bar. "Well. You?"

"Good."

The bartender sat her drinks on the counter, so she grabbed them and turned to leave. "It was nice to see you, Patrick. Please tell Emma I loved her act."

Before she could step away, though, Lucy got up on stage and started talking about last year's Ball and the accident that took their son. As a surprise to his parents, one of whom was responsible for resurrecting the ball, she, Felix and the other committee members put together a tribute to Gabriel. Frozen in place, Patrick stood there with Sabrina as the lights dimmed and Epiphany came out singing "You're Not Alone". As she sang, video appeared in the background. It started with clip from Felix talking about Sabrina and Gabriel and then switched to Elizabeth. Patrick assumed her snippet and the ones that followed would be more of the same, but he'd never been more wrong in his life.

Patrick stared in horror at the video screen as the clip cut from Elizabeth's testimonial to footage of him and Sabrina in the elevator on Valentine's Day. It started out innocently, with them chatting on opposite sides of the elevator, but then got progressively worse as the seconds ticked by.

- The lights going out and the emergency lighting coming on

- Him losing his temper over her ignoring him

- Him saying something and then her slapping him

- Him stalking toward her and pulling her into a heated kiss as he slammed her against the wall

- Sabrina pushing him away, ripping off their coats and pouncing on him

- Sabrina undressing him as they kissed while he yanked the tie that held her dress together

- Them frantically touching and kissing as he worked to divest her of her bra while her hands traveled to his pants

Patrick heard Sabrina utter, "Oh. My. God." Then, he saw Will turn toward them, frown and then rise from his chair (presumably come to her aid). Some people in the crowd followed Will's glance and turned toward them with expectant faces, but others' eyes remained glued to the video screen, enthralled by the brewing scandal, as Felix and Lucy scrambled to cut the feed.

Patrick's eyes traveled to Robin's chair, but she hadn't moved. Her eyes remained fixed on the footage of him and Sabrina ravishing each other. Just before the feed cut off, text appeared on the video board.

_Dearest Dr. Scorpio-Drake_

_In repayment for your services, I wanted to enlighten you to what your hubby was up to while you were away. Turns out my little warning had some unexpected side effects that I truly did not foresee. I hate to be the bearer of bad news given what you've sacrificed for me, but now you know and can act accordingly._

_Your Loyal Friend_

When the feed cut, the lights went on, so Epiphany, who was unaware of the contents of video, stopped singing. In the dead silence, everyone watched as Robin got up slowly from her chair and turned to face him and Sabrina.

Stoically, she made her way through the maze of tables and chairs until she reached them by the bar. Then she stepped directly in front of Sabrina, raised her hand, and slapped her so hard Sabrina reeled back, dropping her drinks in the process.

The CRACK! reverberated through the ballroom as a collective gasp filled the air.


	18. Chapter 18

Before Patrick could react, Will beat him to the punch. He reached Sabrina as she brought her hand to her reddened cheek and glared at Robin with a look of fury Patrick doubted anyone had ever seen on her face before. Sabrina went to lunge at Robin, but Will stopped her, gesturing to Emma's frantic expression and tear-filled face. Sabrina nodded lightly and allowed herself to be pulled away from him and Robin by Will, but was stopped by Robin's venomous, "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

Patrick moved in front of Robin and grabbed her upper arm. Just as he leaned in to remind her of Emma's presence, Robin pulled out of his grasp and addressed Sabrina. "You put on a goody-two-shoes persona, but, underneath, you're nothing but a slut. Tell me, Sabrina, how long did it take for you to drop your panties for him again? Huh?"

Sabrina whispered something to Will and then walked back to Robin. She nodded her head in Emma's direction and with a measured calmness in her voice said, "I'm not doing this in front of Emma."

At that, Patrick walked over to their table and picked Emma up. "Baby, would you go outside with Aunt Felicia for a few minutes, please, while mommy, daddy and Sabrina discuss a few things?"

Emma nodded and Patrick handed her to Felicia. As Felicia walked toward the door, the battle lines emerged. Maxie, Mac, Anna and Jason moved to stand behind Robin while Felix, Carly and Britt joined Will behind Sabrina. Sam and Elizabeth stood in between the two women with Patrick.

Once the door closed behind Emma, Sabrina said, "It just happened, okay. But, it's over. You're home with your family and I've moved on with my life. Can we please just let it go?"

Patrick moved to intervene. "Robin, can we just go discuss this privately?"

Robin's head snapped toward him and she laughed harshly. "You don't want to discuss this. You just want to protect your poor, defenseless little bedwarmer from me."

Patrick said, "That is not true," just as Sabrina shouted, "I'm not defenseless. I can take care of myself." Then, she stepped into Robin's space and smugly said, "You know what, Robin? I may be his bedwarmer, but you can bet your ass that while I was in Patrick's bed, the last thing he thought about was you."

When Robin raised her hand to slap Sabrina again, Patrick caught her arm and then stepped between them. "Don't," he said warningly.

Robin looked at Patrick with eyes full of anger and betrayal. Then, she lowered her arm and asked, "How long were you sleeping around behind my back, Patrick?"

He answered honestly, "Two months. It started on Halloween and ended the day you came back. Nothing happened in that elevator or since."

"You call that nothing, Patrick? My God, are you blind? Because what I saw wasn't 'nothing'!" Robin began pacing. "You couldn't get her naked fast enough, yet I throw myself at you night after night and you will barely touch me."

"Robin, this isn't the time or the place to discuss this." Robin didn't hear him, though, she just continued ranting. "To think that I felt guilty for what he did to you! I'm such a fool. "

That got Patrick's attention. "What did Victor, do, Robin?"

"What?" she asked, sobering.

"You said you felt guilty for something he did to me. What did he do?"

"Nevermind, Patrick."

"Come on, Robin, you sacrificed our marriage and abandoned your daughter to do his bidding the second he dangled Jason in front of your nose like a carrot. You owe me the truth."

"Fine. You asked for it, but you aren't going to like it." Robin looked between him and Sabrina and then said, "Victor was the one who put Rafe up to running you off the road last year. I had saved Jason and wanted to leave without finishing the rest of the project, so he arranged your accident as a warning to me that I could leave, but there would be a price if I did."


	19. Chapter 19

Will, being new in town, had never been to a Nurse's Ball before, but he'd heard stories of how they are always packed with drama and this year was no exception. He just wished the drama hadn't involved Sabrina, who'd worked so hard the last few months to put Patrick Drake in her past and focus on a future with him. Will knew how much Sabrina had loved Patrick, so he tried to be as understanding as possible when it came to her lingering feelings for her ex.

Conversely, however, Will relished using his relationship with Sabrina to make Drake miserable. Anyone with eyes could tell the guy was still head-over-heels in love with Sabrina, but, for some reason, he refused to stick a fork in his marriage and move on with his life. Will understood and applauded the effort to save a marriage for the sake of a child, but, some marriages just could not be saved and Will felt strongly that Drake's was one of those. He'd heard the story of Robin's disappearance and untimely resurrection that lead to heartbreak for Sabrina, but he, from experience, knew people changed and figured that neither Drake nor his wife would be able to really recapture what they lost.

From the moment they arrived, Drake focused his attention on Sabrina. He had tried not to, but the guy was far from stealthy and Will had caught him staring several times and frowning at the way Sabrina was fawning all over him. So, just to twist the knife, Will, who'd never been against public displays of affection, decided to one-up every loving gesture Sabrina made toward him. Then, toward the end of the ball, when he saw Drake go to the bar, Will asked Sabrina if she'd mind grabbing them some drinks. He knew after the night they'd had so far (and planned to continue having later), she was far less likely to be affected by Patrick than he was going to be by her.

As the two lingered in the back chatting, Sabrina's friend and the hostess started rambling about a tribute to Sabrina and her son, so Will's attention was drawn back to the stage. He knew how much losing Gabriel had affected her, so he was definitely interested in watching what they'd cooked up. Unfortunately, Will got way more than he bargained for when the tribute was cut off and replaced with video of Sabrina and Drake from the elevator on Valentine's Day. When he realized that Sabrina was about to be humiliated in front of the entire town yet again, Will got pissed off on her behalf, so he immediately turned his attention to her to see how she was faring. When he saw she was frozen in shock, Will frowned and got up to make his way over to her so that he could support her. While seeing the video of Sabrina and Drake together had thrown him, he was at least a step ahead of Robin and the rest of the town because Sabrina had confessed the near miss to him after their dinner that night and the two of them had dealt with her indiscretion in private and put it behind them.

Will reached Sabrina just as Robin slapped her and was actually a little frightened by Sabrina's reaction, which was why he pulled her aside and gestured toward Emma in an attempt to get her to take the high road and walk away, but Robin just had to push the issue. Once she did that, Will decided to stand back and watch the fireworks, knowing Sabrina could hold her own against Dr. Scorpio-Drake. (Frankly, Will thought Robin should be taking out her anger on her cheating husband rather than Sabrina, but he wasn't about to get in the middle of the fray.)

When Robin admitted she knew the truth about what had happened to Sabrina's son, Will was awestruck. As the comments ran rampant in the peanut gallery and Patrick argued with Robin, he focused his attention on his girlfriend, who'd gone eerily still. Suddenly, Sabrina shouted, "Enough!" and focused on Drake's wife.

She walked over to Robin and, with steel in her voice, asked, "So, let me get this straight… My son is dead because of you?"

At the question, Drake turned to Sabrina and said, "Sabrina, Robin…" but never got to finish, because she looked at him and said, "Shut up, Patrick." Then, she turned to Robin. "I want an answer. Now!"

Robin, clearly surprised by the vehemence in Sabrina's tone, stuttered a bit when she want to answer, but found her voice. "I only found out about Victor's role in your accident after Gabriel had died. I had no way of knowing he would put a teenager up to running my family off the road or that you would be in the car."

"I was in that car because _your_ daughter begged me to come to her dance recital in your place. She was desperate to have her mother there, but you couldn't be bothered."

As Robin shouted, "That's not true!", Sabrina continued, "I told myself to keep my distance, but when she called to invite me, I couldn't bring myself to disappoint her. Why is it, Robin, that every time I replace you in Patrick and Emma's lives, I'm the one who ends up paying the price?"

At that, Drake finally spoke up. "Sabrina, Gabriel was my son, too. I miss him just as much as you do."

Will thought Patrick should have kept his mouth shut because his comment caused Sabrina to turn her attention toward him. "You may miss him now, Patrick, but, for months, he was nothing more than a 'complication' to your precious marriage." When Drake stared back at her with hurt in his eyes and formed a denial on his lips, Sabrina shushed him with her hand and continued, "You were so freaked when you found out from Felix that I was pregnant that you were willing to believe Carlos was Gabriel's father without putting up much of a resistance. Then, after you learned the truth, you missed every single doctor appointment I had until _she_ was gone. Without your wife around, my son and I were suddenly worthy of your attention again."

"I loved him," Patrick said emphatically once Sabrina had quieted.

Sabrina snorted. "Too little too late."

Sabrina turned toward Robin. "As far as I'm concerned, we're even. I slept with your husband and your choices ended up killing my son. I owe you NOTHING. If you're pissed off at him for cheating on you, it's not my problem."

While Robin, shock on her face, processed Sabrina's statement, Sabrina addressed Patrick. "We could have had an amazing future together, but you are too stuck in the past to realize it. I will always love you as Gabriel's father, but that's where it ends." Then, she nodded in Robin's direction and said, "Good luck saving your marriage. I think you might need it."

When she grabbed Will by the hand, he didn't hesitate to take it. "Can we please get the hell out of here?"

Will could tell that Sabrina was hanging onto her bravado by a thread, so he said, "Absolutely," and then planted a kiss on her before they left that he made sure would leave no one, especially Drake, questioning the solidarity of their relationship - or how he would keep her mind off the events of the evening.


	20. Chapter 20

Later that night, Patrick drove home, alone, with Emma in the backseat of his new SUV. Robin was justifiably pissed at him for cheating on her, but, instead of coming home with him to discuss it in private, she chose to play the victim and go to her mother's for the night. She wanted to take Emma, but he put his foot down and insisted on taking Emma with him because she'd already had enough upheaval in her life and deserved to sleep in her own bed. Robin had reluctantly agreed. Patrick knew he was in the wrong for having an affair with Sabrina while his wife was gone, but he was annoyed that Robin refused to accept any responsibility for her role in the deterioration of their marriage that prompted his affair. Patrick was lost in his thoughts as he drove in silence, thinking Emma had gone to sleep, when he heard her say a tentative, "Daddy?"

He looked at her through the rearview mirror. "Yeah baby?"

"Why did mommy hit Sabrina at the ball?"

Patrick was passing a convenience store, so he decided to pull into the lot and park the car. This was not a conversation he wanted to have at all, but especially not while driving. Once the motor was off, he shifted in his seat so he could face Emma and said, "You saw me and Sabrina kissing on the screen, didn't you?" When she nodded, he continued, "Well, that really hurt mommy's feelings and she got angry at Sabrina for kissing me."

Emma looked confused as she thought for a moment. "But… You and Sabrina used to kiss all the time? Why would mommy be mad now?"

Patrick cursed himself for having such an intuitive daughter. "Well, your mom was upset because the video on the screen wasn't from before we found out she wasn't in heaven. It was from after."

Emma was quiet for a bit, so Patrick shifted so he was facing forward again. Just as he was about to turn on the ignition, Emma piped up. "So, mommy's mad because you and Sabrina were hooking up while she was helping people?"

Patrick's head snapped back in Emma's direction. "Hooking up?! Where did you learn that term?"

"Uncle Felix said that's what you and Sabrina were doing the night I made Uncle Duke wear a tutu."

Patrick muttered, "Felix" under his breath and vowed to give him yet another talking-to about inappropriate language for children.

When he didn't answer her question, Emma pulled him back into the conversation. "So, was hooking-up with Sabrina why you suddenly got so happy after we went trick-or-treating?"

"Huh?"

"Well, daddy, you were sad when mommy left and Gabriel died, but then you got happy again after Sabrina went trick-or-treating with us." Before Patrick could think of something to say, Emma continued, "And then you got sad again when mommy came home even though I thought you would be even happier."

"Honey, I don't know what to say. There's just been a lot of stuff going on between your mom and me that we've been trying to work through, so I have been a little sad because of that. It doesn't mean I'm not glad your mom is home."

"Oh, okay… I am really glad mommy's home. But, daddy…"

"Yeah?"

"I don't like that you're sad. I want you to be happy again."

"Thank you, baby," Patrick said with a smile at his precious little girl.

"Maybe we should call Sabrina."

"Um, why would we do that? Sabrina is pretty busy."

Emma looked at him like he was an idiot and said, "So she can make you happy again."

"I'll tell you what, kiddo, why don't we go home and go to bed and we'll talk about this more tomorrow?"

When Emma nodded and smiled, Patrick turned forward and started the engine. The entire way home, he wondered if it was really all that simple.

* * *

The next morning….

Patrick hadn't slept all night because he kept replaying the Nurse's Ball and his conversation with Emma in his head. He'd wrestled with himself for so long over doing what he should do and what he wanted to do and he was, frankly, tired of it. He'd been so certain when he chose Robin after the non-wedding with Sabrina that what he'd done was the right decision for him and Emma, but Patrick had to question whether that was still the case now, especially since he couldn't get Sabrina out of his head - or his heart. After last night, Patrick knew Sabrina wasn't playing when she'd declared she was over the whole situation and walked out of the Ball, head held high, holding Foster's hand. Could he really live without her in his life?

On the way to school, he and Emma continued their chat, which prompted Patrick to finally take action. So, after he dropped her off, he headed where he needed to go and knocked on the door. When it opened, he said simply, "Hi. We need to talk. Can I come in?"


	21. Chapter 21

Patrick, emotionally and physically spent, sighed as he exited Anna's hotel suite. It was over. Finally. It had been difficult to face the truth of what he wanted for his future and end his marriage, but he knew it was the right thing to do. It wasn't fair to him or to Robin to continue forcing something that used to come so naturally. He would always love his wife, but he was in love with Sabrina. Despite him saying "nothing" happened in that elevator, seeing that video brought all of his emotions back and he knew he'd been lying to himself. As Parick recalled the sting of Sabrina's slap against his cheek and the feel of her lips on his when he kissed her, as well as the trail of fire her hands left on his body as if he were reliving it at that moment, he realized he wanted it all again. And, his talk with Emma, as uncomfortable as it was, gave him the push he needed to go after what (or rather who) would make him happy. Patrick had assumed Emma's happiness was tied to having her parents together in the same house, but he knew that she would be happy as long as they were happy - even if it was apart.

When Robin opened the door, she assumed he was there to beg her forgiveness the way he had when he'd slept with Lisa Niles, so the fact that Patrick was there to break up didn't go over well. She'd ranted and raved for a while, calling him and Sabrina every name in the book in her anger, but he'd eventually made her see reason. When Patrick asked Robin if she was happy in their marriage since her return, she'd surprised herself (and him) when she said she wasn't. It was at that moment, that they both accepted the writing on the wall. As such, they spent the next few hours discussing the divorce.

Patrick pulled his phone out of his right pocket so that he could call Diane to draw up the divorce papers. When he used his left hand to unlock the phone, he was momentarily distracted by his wedding ring. Knowing it no longer belonged there, he shifted the phone to his left hand as he pulled it off with his right one and slipped it into his pants pocket. Then, he dialed.

* * *

_Meanwhile…_

Sabrina yawned as she opened her eyes to see Will staring down at her. He smiled and said, "Morning, sleepyhead."

"What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"After eleven."

Sabrina brought her hands to her face and rubbed it. "Oh, man, I didn't mean to sleep so late!"

Will smirked. "Well, last night was eventful." He added, "In many ways," as he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips.

Sabrina smiled, remembering how Will had gotten her mind off of the Ball. "That it was."

"So, how did you sleep?"

Sabrina thought a moment and then said, "Surprisingly well." When Will laid back down on his back, she shifted positions so that she was on her side and put her chin on his chest. As she put her arm around him, she said, "It's funny, but I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders."

"How so?"

"As humiliating as it was to see that video on the screen, I'm glad it came out. The guilt of my affair with Patrick has been eating away at me, slowly, for months. I could barely look Robin in the eye anytime I ran into her."

Will absently stroked Sabrina's hair. "I know how much that was weighing on you."

"It really was. I guess I just don't have it in me to be the other woman," Sabrina said on a sigh.

Will looked her in the eyes, serious, and replied, "You deserve better than that anyway. Any man lucky enough to have you in his life shouldn't want anyone else."

Sabrina whispered, "Thank you," and shifted her body weight to bring her face even with his and then she gave him a long, tender kiss. "You don't know what that means to me."

"So, you're okay?"

"Yeah, I really am. My affair with Patrick is out, as is the truth about what happened to my son. I feel like I can _finally_ close the door on my past and look to a future with you - if you're interested."

Will grinned. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that," he said as he pulled her on top of him.

When Sabrina was on top of him, she laughed and leaned down to kiss him behind the ear. Then, she pressed her hips into his and murmured, "I think I do."

Will moaned in pleasure and then rolled them around so Sabrina was pinned beneath him. "I should probably show you. Just to make sure."

Sabrina didn't say anything. She just pulled him in for a kiss that let him know she was open and eager for a demonstration.


	22. Chapter 22

One week later...

Sabrina walked down the hallway of her apartment building one floor above her holding the welcome packet the committee had created for the new tenant in 4B. She had joined the committee when she moved in so that she could get to know her new neighbors and decided stick with it because she enjoyed it so much. Sabrina rang the doorbell and waited, wondering who would be on the other side of the door, never in a million years expecting to see who she saw on the other side.

When the door opened, Sabrina started in with her speech, but was silenced when she saw Emma standing there. "Emma?"

Emma smiled brightly. "Hi, Sabrina! Did daddy call you?"

Confused, Sabrina asked, "What?" But before she could say anything else, Emma grabbed her hand and pulled her inside as she shouted, "Daddy! Look! Sabrina's here!"

Sabrina looked toward one of the two bedrooms and saw Patrick emerge dressed down in a t-shirt, faded jeans and sneakers. His hair was mussed, likely from working at all the boxes littering the room, and he hadn't shaved in a day or two, so he had the scruffy look she'd always liked on him. When he saw her, Patrick's eyes lit up with happiness and he smiled at her, causing Sabrina to clear her throat to regain her composure.

Sabrina asked, "Patrick? What are you doing here?" just as he said (to Emma), "Yes, I see that."

Emma responded to Sabrina's question. "Daddy lives here now," she said happily, "And I'm his special helper."

Sabrina looked from Emma to Patrick and echoed, "You live here?"

Patrick looked at Emma. "Honey, why don't you run into your room and clear a little path so you can show Sabrina what you've done so far? Then, get your stuff together because mommy will be here soon to pick you up."

"Okay, Daddy!" Emma said as she ran from the room. When they were alone, Patrick focused on Sabrina. "I'm sorry," he said apologetically, "I didn't intend to blindside you by this. I had hoped to talk to you, but, with everything going on…"

"You've obviously been busy since the other night," she said as she looked around the room. "What's going on, Patrick?"

She must have been on the verge of dropping the welcome packet because he came over to her and grabbed it from her. When he did so, she noticed his wedding ring was missing.

He walked to the nearest stack of boxes and put the packet down and then said to her, "I left Robin the day after the Ball and filed for divorce."

Sabrina raised her hand to her mouth in shock, not believing what she was hearing, as he continued, "Emma will split her time with Robin, at the house, and me, here, as we've agreed on joint custody."

"So, you weren't able to work things out?" Sabrina frowned and began pacing, "I'm so sorry, Patrick. I never meant for any of this to happen - especially for you to lose your house over it. And, Emma… I've uprooted her life. Oh, God..."

Patrick caught her attention when he said, "Sabrina, stop for a second, will you!" She stopped and he came over to her. "I haven't lost anything and neither has Emma. I'm where I want to be."

"But… I don't understand…"

"I willingly moved out of the house and got the apartment here so that I can be close to you. I want you back, Sabrina."

* * *

Patrick probably could have knocked Sabrina over with a feather after his statement about wanting her back, but there was no point in beating around the bush. There were dozens of apartment buildings in Port Charles and he'd picked this one on purpose. Patrick had hoped to be on the same floor as Sabrina, but her floor only had one bedroom units and he needed a two bedroom one because of Emma, so he settled for the fourth floor. Patrick, always pragmatic, knew that if he was close to Sabrina, she couldn't ignore him - and he needed her not to ignore him if he hoped to get her back.

Patrick couldn't help but smile at her shock even though he felt bad for blindsiding her. He and Robin had purposely kept their split private until they could work out the details in order to minimize the disruption in Emma's life. He'd planned to talk to her in a day or two, not knowing that Sabrina would be on the welcoming committee they'd warned him about when he signed the lease.

Sabrina found her voice, but it was weak. "I'm sorry… What did you say?"

"I said that I left Robin and moved here because I want you back." When she began looking around the room for something to lean on, he caught her arm and guided her to sit in the lone empty spot on the couch. Then, he kneeled in front of her and poured his heart out. "I'm still in love with you, Sabrina, and I've been miserable without you. Seeing us together, so close to making love, on that video screen brought everything into perspective for me, finally. My marriage was over the day Robin walked out, but I was just too blind to see it. You are the person I need - and want - in my life."

Sabrina bowed her head in her hands and shook it as if she were trying to make sense of everything. She'd only just looked up, unshed tears in her eyes, and was about to say something when Emma bounded out of her room looking for Sabrina. Patrick loved his daughter, but cursed her timing. Sabrina quickly swiped the tears away and put on a cheerful face, saying, "I'm so excited to see what you've done to your room!"

As Sabrina was pulled (literally) by Emma into the hallway, she glanced back at him with eyes full of a mixture of love, confusion and pain. In that moment, Patrick's hopes that she would magically forgive him and run into his arms faded and he realized that the battle had only just begun.


	23. Chapter 23

While Sabrina was in with Emma, Patrick got a text from Robin saying that she would be there in five minutes for Emma and to please have her ready. Patrick sighed when he read it because it saddened him that, after so many years together, they were barely on speaking terms. Although, they made a concerted effort in front of Emma to be civil, they spoke as little as possible otherwise. Patrick knew things would improve eventually. He just wondered when that would be.

Not wanting to piss Robin off, Patrick shouted to Emma to get a move on. When she and Sabrina re-appeared in the living room, he smiled, caught up in the moment. Emma and Sabrina were holding hands, with Sabrina carrying her overnight bag for her. Even dressed in scrubs, Sabrina was beautiful. God how he'd missed her.

Patrick's phone dinged, which meant that Robin was outside. Emma hugged Sabrina goodbye and then he herded her to the door. Before leaving, though, he paused. "Will you wait? I need to walk her out. I'll just be a minute."

* * *

When the door closed behind Patrick, Sabrina took a deep breath. She'd nodded when he asked her to wait because she knew she owed him a response to his declaration. Hearing Patrick confess that he left Robin because he wanted her and their future was everything she'd ever wanted to hear since the night he shattered her heart; but, now, Sabrina didn't know what to think. Leave it to the man to give her exactly what she wanted just when she closed the door on their relationship and committed to Will. Sabrina had been burned by Patrick twice. Could she really throw away everything she'd built with Will, who was a wonderful man she cared about very much, because Patrick finally woke up and realized he was a dumbass?

Sabrina was still lost in thought when the door opened and Patrick came back. "Sorry about that," he said apologetically, "but I don't trust letting Emma walk downstairs alone yet."

"It's no problem, Patrick. I wouldn't let her walk downstairs alone either."

He closed the door and walked over to her where she was standing by the kitchen island. "Thanks for waiting."

"You're welcome."

"So," he hedged, "I know I dropped a lot on you…"

"Yeah," she interrupted. "You could say that. Kinda like a nuclear bomb."

Patrick stepped closer. "I meant what I said, Sabrina. I love you. I want you back."

Furious at her body for responding to his nearness, she ducked around him. "It's not that easy, Patrick. So much has happened…"

"But, don't you see, Sabrina, it can be that simple. Emma made me realize that. I love you and you love me and we make each other happy. We should be together."

"Sometimes love just isn't enough, Patrick. This isn't a fairytale where you confess your love and I run into your arms and we live happily ever after."

"It could be. We could be happy. You just have to believe."

Sabrina frowned at him. "I stopped believing in fairytales the day you ran from the altar to kiss your dead wife in front of me."

"Sabrina.." Patrick started apologetically, but Sabrina stopped him. "I'm not mad, Patrick. Not anymore. I just grew up."

"So what does that mean?" he asked.

"It means, Patrick, that I will always love you, especially for giving me Gabriel, but I am not sure that we can work together. There is just so much water under the bridge… And then, there's Will."

"Are you in love with him?" Patrick, unable to keep the hurt from his voice, asked.

"What we have together is new and, given recent history, I've been cautious with my heart, so I'm not sure." When Patrick's face got hopeful, Sabrina added, "But, I know that I could love him."

Patrick closed the distance between them again. "I was an idiot, Sabrina, I messed up a really good thing. Twice. Please don't make the same mistake by clinging to this relationship with Foster because you might love him someday when you already love me."

Sabrina stepped back and made her way to the door. "I have to go. Will's coming over and now I'm running late." She pointed to the packet she'd brought. "Everything you need to know about the building is in there. If you have any questions, though, call the number on the card."

Patrick followed her and stopped right behind her. "If I have questions, I'll call you." Then, he leaned into her. Just as Sabrina was about to chastize him for being forward, she realized he was only opening the door.

Sabrina stepped outside and said, "Bye, Patrick. Good luck with everything." She started walking down the hallway toward the elevator when he answered. "Luck has nothing to do with it."

* * *

Patrick watched Sabrina as she left and smiled. Sabrina had been as affected by the current running between them as he was. She was just hiding behind Foster because she was afraid of being hurt. It might take time and planning, but Patrick could and would break down her walls. Luck would have nothing to do with it.


	24. Chapter 24

In nearly a month, Patrick had made little progress with Sabrina. Since she now worked pretty exclusively in the NICU, he rarely got to see her at work unless they ran into each other in the cafeteria, a hallway or the locker room (the latter of which was too rare, in Patrick's estimation). As such, he was relegated to exploiting the one chink he knew existed in Sabrina's armor: Emma. He would never "use" his daughter, but he wasn't above playing the one card he had over Foster in getting Sabrina's attention. Since Sabrina loved Emma like she was her own, she couldn't resist if Patrick asked her to help him with Emma. The upsides were that Sabrina and Emma got to reconnect, making Emma giddy with happiness, and Patrick got valuable face time with Sabrina. The downside was that him "accidentally" mixing up dates and times for appointments so that he could weasel his way in on their time together clued Sabrina in to what he'd been doing. However, since she wouldn't chastise him in front of Emma or be alone with him to scold him, Patrick figured it was worth it.

As Patrick, who was returning from work, climbed the stairs to his apartment (a last-minute impulsive decision), he hit pay dirt in his quest for alone-time with Sabrina. Dressed for work, she was descending the stairs and hit the landing between the second and third floors just as he did. Pretending to be in a rush (which Patrick knew to be bull because she was always early), Sabrina nodded and said, "Hey, Patrick!" as she attempted to slip by him.

Patrick put his arm out to block her from going down the stairs and then said, "Hi. How are you?"

"Good. Heading to work. You?"

"Well. Coming home," he said as he smiled the smile he knew was sure to melt her heart. When she tried again to slip by him, he stopped her by making a comment about Emma and how much she loves having her around. Sabrina rolled her eyes. "I know what you're doing, Patrick, and it needs to stop."

"What?" he asked innocently as he stepped closer to her.

"You're using Emma to get me to spend time with you. It's so transparent," Sabrina responded as she took a step back. "You're too organized to mix up dates and times, especially when it comes to her."

Patrick stepped forward again and shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, you caught me. Guilty as charged."

Sabrina chuckled. "I can't believe you actually admitted it," she said as she shook her head in disbelief, stepping backward again.

"I'm not going to deny it, Sabrina. It's the only way I can see you, so I'm going to take advantage of it." Patrick stepped closer and she stepped back, this time hitting the wall. "You've been avoiding me."

"I have not. I've just been busy," she said in denial, her breath catching.

"Liar," Patrick said as he stopped inches away from her and put his arms up on either side so she couldn't escape.

Sabrina looked at him and opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. He could tell he was affecting her because her chest started to rise and fall more rapidly, so Patrick purposely leaned in closer, never breaking eye contact. "You're still as affected by me as I am by you. Can't you feel the current running between us? It's stronger than it's ever been. "

Sabrina blinked and swallowed. Then, she whispered, "Patrick… Please…," as she lightly banged her head against the wall out of frustration, which had the lovely side effect of bringing her lips closer to his.

Never one to miss an opportunity to like this, Patrick smiled rakishly and said, "I thought you'd never ask…," right before his lips landed on hers.

As they kissed, Patrick's hands moved from the wall to Sabrina's waist to pull her against him and any doubts he may have been harboring over ending his marriage to Robin vanished instantly. This was the woman he was supposed to be with, he thought as he sighed in pleasure at the way they fit perfectly together in all the right places as if they were made for each other.

* * *

As Patrick's kiss sent liquid fire circulating through her body, Sabrina melted into his embrace. Involuntarily, her arms wrapped around his neck and she used them to pull him even closer, marveling at the feel of him pressed against her. When he broke away from her, Sabrina whimpered in disappointment until she realized he had done so in order to blaze a path of tiny kisses to the sensitive spot on her neck he knew drove her wild. Sabrina shifted her head to give him better access as her hips pressed into his and she allowed the lust to consume her.

Sabrina, who'd been oblivious to everything but Patrick and how good it felt to be back in his arms, was brought back to reality when his phone started to ring. With every ounce of willpower she still possessed, Sabrina pushed him away from her and whispered, "Patrick, you're phone…"

Frazzled, Patrick fumbled for the phone in his pants pocket and, never taking his eyes from Sabrina, answered it without checking to see who it was. "What!?"

Sabrina used his phone call as an opportunity to both pull herself together physically and scold herself mentally. How could she let him get to her like that? She broke eye contact and was fiddling with the tote bag hanging partway off her shoulder when she heard Patrick angrily cut off the call. Despite wanting to get out of that stairwell more than anything, she heard herself ask, "Is everything okay?"

Patrick turned away from her for a moment and took a deep breath. Then, he turned back and replied, "Just some drama, but it's nothing you need to worry about."

Sabrina uttered an "Oh," and then, as Patrick advanced on her again, said, "I really do have to go. I'm going to be late for work if I don't."

Sabrina stepped forward, intending to slip by him, but he stopped her by stepping in front of her (again!). Then Patrick brought his ring-less hand up to cup her cheek. "Go ahead and go, but, Sabrina, we both know it's just a matter of time until you're back in my arms again – where you belong."

When he dropped his hand, Sabrina pushed past him, rushing down the stairs so as not to be late for work. She could feel him watching her as she exited through the lobby doorway. When the door closed behind her, Sabrina leaned against it and took a deep breath to calm down and muttered, "Not if I can help it." The man broke her heart twice, she wasn't about to make the same mistake again.


	25. Chapter 25

Fourth of July

When Sabrina entered the new pool area at the Metro Court, which had been refurbished to model a tropical island getaway complete with cabanas and a pool bar, Emma bounded over to her. "Sabrina!"

Sabrina kneeled down and gave her a big hug. "Hey, sweetie. How are you?"

"I'm good. This place is awesome!" Then Emma grabbed Sabrina's hand and began pulling her. "Come sit with me and daddy!"

Sabrina, hating to disappoint Emma, stalled and said, "Um, Emma, Will is meeting me later. It might be better if I sit by myself." When Emma frowned, Sabrina continued, "But I'll be close by and you can come visit me."

Emma's response was the puppy eyes and frowny face Sabrina could never deny. "Please, Sabrina…" So, Sabrina gave in and allowed herself to be (quite literally) dragged over to Emma and Patrick's cabana.

Patrick, who'd been laying on one of the lounge chairs, smiled when he saw her. "Hey."

Sabrina couldn't help but smile back. "Hey."

Emma addressed Patrick. "Sabrina said she'd sit with us. Isn't that cool?!"

"Yeah, it is."

As Sabrina put her stuff on a chair near Patrick's, she heard Patrick tell Emma that it was time to reapply her sunscreen. Emma, wanting to go back in the water, frowned, but shuffled over. As Patrick was getting it ready, she said, "I want Sabrina to do it."

Patrick laughed and said, "Okay," and passed the sunscreen to Sabrina, who'd just sat down. When Sabrina took it from him, she inadvertently touched his hand and felt a jolt of electricity inside her that caused her to pull it away quickly. He gave her a knowing look and a wink, but said nothing.

Once Sabrina had finished applying the sunscreen, Emma fled to go back to her friends in the water and Sabrina was left alone with Patrick. To distract herself from glancing over at him lounging in only his swim trunks, Sabrina busied herself with setting up her area. After laying down her favorite beach towel, she grabbed her Kindle and sunglasses from her tote. She removed the cute beach hat she'd bought on a whim so she could take off her cover-up, adjusted the back of the chair and then settled in for a satisfying stint of reading by the pool.

* * *

Patrick made a mental note to buy Emma the biggest ice cream sundae ever for convincing Sabrina to come sit with them (or, rather, him, since Emma had been in the water all day) in their cabana. He'd brought Emma to the party at the pool so she could spend the day with her friends until Robin came to pick her up later and had busied himself by people-watching from his lounge chair as he kept an eye on Emma.

Ecstatic to see Sabrina enter their cabana with her, Patrick infused all his joy in his "Hey," but got distracted when he noticed Emma was starting to get some sunburn. Again, however, his little angel pulled out another assist when she insisted Sabrina apply a new round of sunscreen instead of him. When Patrick handed Sabrina the tube, he literally felt the jolt of electricity run between them, so he smirked and winked when Sabrina got spooked by it and pulled her hand away, knowing she was just in denial and would come around sooner or later.

After Emma left, Sabrina didn't say anything, but he caught her sneaking glances at him as she settled in to read. The only thing Sabrina liked better than reading was doing so outside, and, today, as she sat there in her bikini (when had she bought that!?) he gained a new level of respect for her addictive habit. As she read, Patrick drank in the site of her – and made no effort to hide his appreciation from her.

After several minutes of him staring, Sabrina sighed, "Patrick. Stop it."

"What?" he asked innocently.

Never looking up from her Kindle, she said, "You're staring."

"Just appreciating the view." When Sabrina looked up and rolled her eyes, he added, "Nice bikini. When did you start wearing those?"

Sabrina, who'd returned her attention to her book, answered, "In Puerto Rico. But, Will bought me this one because he said it matched my eyes. Since he's coming later, I thought I'd surprise him with it."

If Sabrina had wanted to kill Patrick's buzz, mentioning Foster was guaranteed to do it. "Oh."

When Sabrina continued to ignore him, Patrick returned his attention to Emma. However, about an hour later, when the sun started creeping into the cabana, exposing most of Sabrina's chair, she started fumbling around in her tote for sunscreen. As he watched her apply some to the front of her body, as well as her arms and legs, Patrick was hit with a brilliant idea that made him seriously reconsider his genius daughter's request for that puppy.

When Sabrina sat up to try to rub sunscreen on her back, he acted on his thoughts, saying, "I can… ah… do that for you, if you want."

Sabrina looked over her shoulder with a doubtful look. "Thanks, but I'll pass," she said as she pulled her hair over her shoulder and wrenched her arm around in a weird angle to reach her back.

Patrick stood up and walked over to her chair. Then, ripping the tube out of her hand, he said, "You can be so stubborn sometimes. Just let me help you." Before Sabrina could, once again, refuse, he squirted some in his hand, sat down behind her, and began rubbing in the sunscreen.

How much were puppies anyway?


	26. Chapter 26

When Patrick's hands touched Sabrina's body, she shivered and his hands stilled on her shoulders. Sabrina played off her reaction by whispering, "Cold." When Patrick grunted an "Uh-huh" in a disbelieving voice, Sabrina knew that he knew she was lying.

Ever since their meeting in the stairwell, Sabrina had worked overtime to put Patrick out of her mind and focus on Will, who'd become very important to her. In fact, because of Patrick's shenanigans, Will constantly did romantic things to one-up him and they'd actually gotten closer than Sabrina had ever anticipated or could have hoped for. Sabrina had been pretty successful in keeping Patrick out of her mind - until today.

Since Will had to work, Sabrina came ahead of time to secure a good spot for them by the pool, but, of course, she'd been swayed when Emma asked her to come sit with her. Sabrina distracted herself from Patrick by focusing on Emma and, when that was no longer an option, decided to put all her attention into her book. Except for a few minutes in the beginning, she'd been successful, but then Patrick had to knock her off kilter by offering to apply her sunscreen. Even though Sabrina knew his consideration was largely born out of giving him a reason to touch her, she couldn't help but appreciate his thoughtfulness.

As Patrick resumed massaging the lotion onto her shoulders and back, Sabrina reveled in his touch and found herself relaxing and leaning back toward him. In response, Patrick leaned forward until the front of his body was inches from the back of hers and then he whispered, "Isn't this better than being stubborn?"

Sabrina turned her head over her shoulder again and nodded almost imperceptibly as she locked eyes with him. Unable to break the eye contact, Sabrina found herself frozen as Patrick leaned in toward her. He was seconds away from kissing her when Sabrina heard a throat clear and Will's voice saying, "So, is this a private party or can anyone join in?"

Trance broken, Sabrina jumped up from the lounge chair and faced Will. As she exclaimed his name and smiled as she ran to greet him, Sabrina heard Patrick growl under his breath. After kissing Will hello, Sabrina excitedly said, "You're here! I thought you weren't coming until later?"

Will returned her smile. Then, he said, "Change of plans. I got off early and decided to surprise you," as he snuck a knowing glance in Patrick's direction.

"I'm so glad you did!" Shooing Patrick from her chair, Sabrina began gathering her stuff. When she was done, she eyed another cabana and grabbed Will's hand. "Let's go over there." With a nod at Patrick, Sabrina said, "I'll see you later. Thanks for the company."

* * *

As Patrick watched Sabrina practically drag Foster to a nearby cabana, he cursed the guy's timing. He'd finally been able to get his hands on Sabrina for the first time in weeks and was breaking down her defenses when the pain in the ass had to show up and ruin the moment. Of course, the second Foster arrived, he gave Sabrina an excuse to surpress what was happening between the two of them.

He couldn't help growling in frustration when Sabrina jumped up and rushed over to the interloper. He also knew that Foster and heard him and, when he glanced Patrick's way, indicated that he was onto him. Patrick didn't care what Foster thought and had no intention of backing down in his quest to steal Sabrina away. All is fair in love and war, right?

Patrick watched the two of them settle in, with Foster being more than happy to pick up where Patrick had left off. The only difference was that Sabrina seemed to relish the attention and was impatient to return the favor. They flirted as Sabrina felt up Foster under the guise of applying sunscreen. When Sabrina modeled her bikini for him and he pulled her in for a kiss, Patrick made a beeline for the bar. There was no way he would get through the rest of the day without help - and he couldn't disappoint Emma by making her leave.

A few hours later, Emma was on a blanket waiting for the fireworks with her friends as Patrick, still at the bar, eyed the sickeningly happy couple with annoyance. He had just taken a swig of his beer when he heard a voice next to him say, snarkily, "Looks to me like the fireworks aren't in the sky this year."

Patrick removed his eyes from the couple and glaced over. "Robin," he said, with no feeling whatsoever.

"Judging by the little show miss goody-two-shoes is putting on with Dr. Delicious, I'm guessing your quest to win her back isn't going quite as planned."

"I'm not discussing this with you," Patrick said coldly. He pointed to Emma and added, "Emma is over there if you want to say hi and watch the fireworks with her before you take her home."

"Thanks. I'll go get her."

Before Robin left, Patrick blurted, "You don't have to do this, Robin."

"Yeah, Patrick. I do."

"Why? To get back at me for cheating on you?"

Robin shrugged. "It's only natural for me to want as much time with Em as I can get. If it happens to make you miserable in the process, then I consider it a bonus."

Patrick got pissed. "You left her and me willingly for months. No judge on this earth will side with you over me - the parent who raised her singlehandedly for the last three years."

Robin put on a wounded face. "I was ripped away from my family and tortured for two years. Then, when I sacrificed my own happiness to save a man's life, my devoted husband cheated on me for months. I don't know... but I'd say I have a decent shot at winning."

"By making me the bad guy for moving on?" Patrick, still angry but attempting to be conciliatory, asked, "Why can't we just settle on custody out of court? It is what would be best for Emma. She doesn't deserve the upheaval this will cause."

Robin looked at Patrick as if she was considering his request when she (and he, and, hell, the whole damn pool) heard Sabrina laugh at something Foster had whispered in her ear. She looked over at them and back at Patrick, who mustn't have been able to hide the jealousy from his face. "Who are you trying to protect, Patrick? Emma - or your mistress?" Then, as Robin walked away, she said, "I'll see you in court. Enjoy the 'fireworks'."


	27. Chapter 27

Sabrina was sitting on her couch in her favorite lounge pants and tank top watching TV as she waited for her pizza when her phone dinged with a new text message. She picked up the phone with one hand as she straightened her glasses with the other and smiled at the message from Will.

Will: _Miss you._

Sabrina typed back. _Miss you, too. How's Seattle?_

Will: _Wet._

Sabrina: _I meant the convention. :P_

Will. _OH, that? Good. Amazing hospital. Learning a lot. Wish you were here._

Sabrina: _Glad it's going well. Would have been if I hadn't had to testify today. :(_

Will: _How'd that go?_

Sabrina: _Mortifying. I'll tell you all about it over the phone later. Long story._

Will: _I'm sorry. :( But, I can't wait to hear your voice._

Sabrina smiled and was about to reply back when she heard a knock at her door, so she typed. _Gotta go. Pizza's here._ and put the phone down, knowing Will would just wait till they talked later. He probably had some meeting or other to get to anyway. From what he'd told her, the convention on trauma medicine at Grey-Sloan Memorial Hospital was supposed to be everything.

When Sabrina got to the door and looked through the peephole, she sighed. She opened the door and said, "What's up, Patrick?"

Patrick held up the bottle of wine he had in his hand, her favorite, and said, "I come in peace." When she raised a brow at him skeptically, he said, "Honestly, I'm just here to say how sorry I am about today and to thank you for what you did. I know it was awful, but I appreciate it."

Before Sabrina could respond, the pizza guy showed up. She grabbed her wallet and paid for the pizza as Patrick held it with his free hand. Then, once the delivery guy left, she and Patrick stood there silently until she gestured with her head for him to come inside, as she couldn't very well grab the pizza and wine and slam the door in his face. After he entered, Sabrina said firmly, "No shenanigans." When he put up his hands in mock surrender, Sabrina pleaded, " Can we please just eat pizza and talk – like friends?"

Patrick smiled brightly at her question and nodded, but somehow Sabrina still thought this was a very bad idea.

* * *

Patrick waited in the living room as Sabrina, dressed down in sweats and glasses, got the paper plates and wine glasses. He'd come to her door tonight with the wine to try to make up for the horrible day in court they'd had. Robin's lawyer had subpoenaed Sabrina to testify about their affair and it had been ugly. Alexis was a pitbull in the courtroom and had grilled Sabrina regarding every detail of their sex life during the time Robin was gone, making what had been a loving relationship seem cheap and tawdry in an effort to paint Patrick as the bad guy and score points with the judge. Patrick had gotten so pissed off that he'd almost jumped up several times to try to stop it, but Diane halted him. When it came time for the cross-examination, Diane had twisted Alexis' questions and Sabrina's responses back around to paint their affair as star-crossed lovers unable to resist their feelings despite their best efforts. By the end, Sabrina came off as exactly the opposite of what Robin had intended. Before she stepped down, though, Sabrina asked to make a statement and proceeded to advocate to the judge for joint custody because that is what is best for Emma, who loves both of her parents. When she was done, the judge thanked her for her candor and Sabrina walked out of the courtroom with her head held high, making Patrick proud.

Patrick smiled as Sabrina put the supplies on her coffee table. As she poured the wine, he served the pizza and they chatted about nothing in particular. After a few minutes, Patrick brought up the hearing and they discussed her testimony and he updated her on what went on afterward. Patrick still had a few days before he would be testifying, but he felt strongly that her plea to the judge would help sway him away from granting Robin full custody of Emma. "Thank you again," he said, knowing he'd never be able to thank her enough.

Sabrina lightly touched his leg and said, "I know you didn't ask for any of this Patrick and that you would have stopped Alexis if you could have, but we both know she was just doing her job. I just hope the judge – and Robin – listened to me. I love Emma and I know she'd be happiest splitting her time with you both."

Patrick placed his hand on top of Sabrina's and said earnestly, "Yeah, she would be." They stayed like that for a few moments until Sabrina pulled her hand away. Because of his promise for no shenanigans, Patrick didn't try to stop her.

A few minutes later, Sabrina's phone dinged. She picked it up and read the message and then texted a quick reply. Against his better judgment, Patrick asked, "Will?"

Sabrina looked over at him with a dreamy smile. "Yeah."

"He's in Seattle at that trauma medicine thing, right?" Patrick asked innocently as if Will attending that convention hadn't been his idea in the first place.

After the Fourth, Patrick realized the only way he was going to break down Sabrina's walls was if he could get her alone – without Foster anywhere in the picture. So, he'd done some research and _suggested _to Monica, who'd been reinstated as Chief of Staff when Obrecht suddenly left town, that she may want to send Will out there. She'd questioned him, as they already had a pretty state-of-the-art facility, and he'd run down his list of legitimate reasons. When those failed to sway her, Patrick had called in his favors and got Monica to agree. Patrick had been concerned, however, when Sabrina requested off so she could fly to Seattle with Foster for a mini-vacation. Fortunately, the subpoena from Robin had put the kibosh on that. It was, to this day, the only good thing about Robin's dumbass vendetta.

Patrick was pulled from his thoughts when Sabrina answered, "Uh-huh," and told him, in way more detail than he cared to know, how Monica had 'selected' Will to attend the up and coming convention and how Will had been honored and excited to go, but how she'd been disappointed she couldn't fly out with him for a romantic getaway. The whole time she talked, Patrick recited 'All is fair in love and war' to himself over and over.

Luckily, Patrick was able to get the subject off of Foster when one of Sabrina's favorite movies came on and he offered to watch it with her. Although Sabrina was skeptic at his sudden change of heart over chick flicks he used to avoid like the plague, she agreed and got up to make popcorn for them.

They settled in to watch the movie, they chatted and laughed companionably as they ate popcorn and drank wine the way they used to before Robin came back the first time. Patrick had taken it for granted then, but he definitely wasn't doing so now. As the movie progressed, Sabrina's defenses fell little by little until she was sitting comfortably next to him, head on his chest. Before the movie ended, however, Sabrina had fallen asleep, so Patrick sat there for a while watching her and thanking the universe for bringing her into his life and making him wake-up and appreciate her.

Since Emma was staying with Robin tonight, Patrick wasn't in a hurry to get home, so he let Sabrina sleep until he started to lose feeling in his side. He was loathe to wake her up, but he did so anyway. When Sabrina, groggy, picked her head up, her glasses were crooked on her face. She straightened them automatically and whispered, "Patrick?"

He smiled back at her sweetly, but didn't say anything. Instead, he locked eyes with Sabrina. Patrick could see the lingering feelings in her eyes now that her guard was down and did his best to convey the same. When she blinked a few times, but didn't break the contact, Patrick decided to go for broke (otherwise all his plans would have been for nothing) and kissed her.


	28. Chapter 28

When Patrick's lips landed on hers, Sabrina was still groggy from her nap, the wine and all the junk food she'd eaten. In the back of her mind, she knew she should push him away, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Their kiss started out tender, but soon consumed her. As her body reacted (in the traitorous way it always did), her mind became foggy with passion and thoughts of everything besides Patrick fled. As Patrick pulled her closer to him on the couch, Sabrina didn't resist and, in fact, encouraged him. It wasn't until Patrick's hands reached the bottom of her tank top and began inching the hem upward that Sabrina regained control of her brain and wrenched herself away, using her hands to stop his from going any further.

Aroused and confused, Patrick asked, "What's wrong?"

Sabrina scooted back from him, righted her shirt and then jumped up from the couch. "We can't do this, Patrick."

He looked up at her, hurt in his eyes. "What? Why?"

"Because I'm in love with Will," Sabrina declared.

At that, Patrick jumped up, too. "You're kidding, right?"

Sabrina crossed her arms over her chest. "No, Patrick, I'm not."

"But, you were… We were… ," he stuttered as he pointed to the couch, referring to what had just happened.

"I know. I'm sorry…"

Patrick seemed to regain his composure because he said emphatically, "I'm not." Then, he added, "You can't be in love with him. If you were, you would have stopped that kiss the second my lips touched yours."

Sabrina turned and began pacing. "I didn't stop you right away because you make it impossible for me to think when you're touching me, but that doesn't mean anything."

"How can you say that?! It means everything."

"It's lust, Patrick, not love. At least not the kind it used to be – before. You are everything I'd ever fantasized about as I read fairytales and, because of that, I will always be affected by you." When Patrick went to speak, Sabrina stopped him. "But, I grew up and realized some people don't get the happily ever after with their prince… The happily ever after comes after the prince lets you down."

"Huh?"

"Will isn't my prince, but, that's okay, because he's a good man who makes me happy. He's only been gone a day and I miss him so much. I can't imagine my life without him in it, nor do I want to."

* * *

Patrick was speechless. One moment they'd been on their way to making love (finally!) and the next she was pushing him away and professing her love for Foster. This had to be the Twilight Zone. That was the only explanation for what he was hearing.

Patrick, hurt at her dismissal of their entire relationship as girlish fantasies, got defensive. "You can't be serious?! You've only been dating for a few months. You settled for him because Robin came back. If she hadn't come back, we'd still be together."

Sabrina sighed. "We'll never know that, Patrick, because, once again, she did come back and blow my life to smithereens. And, as far as my relationship with Will is concerned – time isn't a factor. And, it's none of your business."

Angry now, he said, "It is my business because I love you. And you love me. You wouldn't have kissed me like that or act the way you do around me if you didn't. You're in denial and you need to _wake the hell up_!"

Sabrina, also angry, shouted. "I am awake! Finally!" Then, she walked to the door and opened it. "You need to leave."

Patrick didn't budge.

"Get out," Sabrina said, as she pointed to the empty hallway.

Patrick, still pissed, but not wanting to push her too far, stalked through the door. "Fine. I'm leaving, but this isn't over." He added, "Not by a long shot," on a whisper as the door slammed in his face.

As he walked down the hallway, Patrick realized this was all his fault. He'd pushed her into Foster's arms by wasting so much time with Robin and now he was paying for it. However, if Sabrina thought he'd roll over and play dead, she was sadly mistaken.

* * *

Later that night…

When Will called, Sabrina told him about the kiss with Patrick and Will lost his temper for the first time since she'd known him. Until now, he'd taken Patrick's quest in stride, but Sabrina knew even he had a breaking point. Will ranted through the phone about how he would deck the guy if he were in town and how sneaky it was of him to make his move when Will wasn't around. When his tirade on Patrick was finished, Will said apologetically, "I'm sorry to take this out on you Sabrina. I know you've been trying to get him to back off, but I just love you so much that the thought of losing you…"

When Will's voice cut out, Sabrina thought she'd lost the connection. "Will? Are you there?"

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?" she asked, worried about the tone of his voice.

"I, ah, didn't mean to blurt out that I loved you like that."

When Will started backtracking, Sabrina shushed him. "It's okay, Will. I love you, too."

"What?" he asked, the surprise evident in his voice.

Sabrina smiled into the phone. "I love you, Will Foster."

Silence. Then, "Wow. I honestly didn't expect to hear that."

"Well, I honestly didn't expect to say it, but I have – and I'm not taking it back because it's the truth."

"You'd better not." Then, after a pause, he said, "Damn. You finally admit to loving me and I'm stuck in Seattle… This sucks."

Sabrina laughed at the disappointment in his voice. "I'm sure you'll survive." When he grunted, Sabrina added, "Enjoy your conference. We'll celebrate when you get back."

After that, Sabrina said goodbye and then settled in for the night, Patrick never once entering her mind.


	29. Chapter 29

Two months later...

Sabrina had just gotten off of the phone with Will and was busy reviewing her To Do list when she heard a knock at the door. She looked through the peephole and saw it was Patrick, so she took a deep breath before opening it. This was not going to be fun.

"Patrick," Sabrina said on a forced smile. "What do you want? I'm kind of busy?"

Sabrina purposely blocked the entrance to her apartment with her body, but he gently moved her aside and stepped over the threshold. He pointed to the half-packed boxes and then said in a hurt and angry voice, "So, were you ever going to tell me you were moving to Seattle or were you just going to leave like a thief in the night?"

Sabrina, knowing she wouldn't be able to return to packing until she answered him, closed the door on a sigh. "Of course not, Patrick. I wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to you and Emma."

"Then what's all this? And why did I find out from Felix that you were leaving?"

Sabrina gestured around the room and said, "This is me preparing for the movers to come for my stuff in two weeks, which is when I was going to say goodbye to everyone. "

Patrick looked surprised and asked, "So, what did Felix mean when he said you were leaving tomorrow morning?"

"I am leaving tomorrow morning, but I'm not staying. I'm flying out with Will for a few days so we can look for an apartment near the hospital and then I'm coming back to finish out my notice with GH."

"Oh," Patrick said somewhat sheepishly. "Felix didn't mention that."

Sabrina chuckled. "Of course he didn't. He wanted to rile you up so you would storm over here all huffy." When she picked up her list and started looking around the apartment and crossing off items, Patrick came over to her and pulled it out of her hand.

"You can't do this, Sabrina. What about us?"

"What 'us', Patrick? We've been over for a long time," Sabrina replied as she grabbed the pad back from him.

"You can't go."

"Yes, Patrick, I can. I'm with Will and I love him. We're moving to Seattle together." Sabrina walked over to the door and opened it while simultaneously ushering him out with her other hand. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to finish packing for my flight tomorrow."

Patrick stalked over to her, but instead of leaving, he grabbed the door out of her hand and slammed it shut. "Nice try, Sabrina, but I'm not going anywhere – and neither are you."

Sabrina laughed. "And you're going to stop me?"

Patrick stepped towards her until he was less than a foot away. "Absolutely," Patrick said, serious as a heart attack. "If you leave with him, you will end up regretting it."

Sabrina grew serious as well, looked him in the eye and then said, "I disagree. Seattle will be a fresh start for me with Will and you're crazy if you think I'm not going to take advantage of that. _He_ is the man I want to be with." Sabrina jabbed her index finger into Patrick's chest and said, "Not you."

Patrick grabbed her hand before she could put it down and enclosed it in his. "If you really loved him the way you say you do, then nothing I could ever do would affect you; but, we both know I have been getting to you." He pulled on her hand to propel her forward until she was inches from him and leaned in and whispered. "If you leave, you aren't stepping into a future with Foster, you're running away from one with me."

* * *

Patrick watched Sabrina as she processed what he was telling her. He had to get through to her and convince her that leaving with Foster wasn't the answer, but he didn't know if he could. He'd hurt her so much over the last two years and a part of him couldn't blame her for not trusting that it would work between them this time. However, he knew that despite her claims, she was still as affected by him as he is by her (otherwise she wouldn't work so hard to avoid him).

Sabrina pulled her hand out of his. "I am not." When she backed away, he countered her by stepping forward. "Yes, Sabrina, you are." He put his hand to her cheek. "Don't you see? Running away from me - from us - won't solve anything because I'm as much a part of you as you are of me."

Sabrina ducked away from him and went back to the door. "A piece of me will always love you, Patrick, but our ship has sailed." She opened the door and gestured for him to exit. "I'm leaving with Will."

Patrick walked toward her, but instead of exiting, he stopped directly in front of her. "I love you, Sabrina, and I know you are still in love with me no matter what you say or do to prove otherwise. Whether you're a mile away or 2,000 miles away won't matter because I will be there with you wherever you go."

When Sabrina tried to argue, he cut her off. "Us being together is inevitable and you're only going to hurt Will in the end if you keep fooling yourself. Do you really want to put him through that kind of pain?"

When Sabrina didn't say anything, Patrick leaned in, kissed her softly on the cheek and left the apartment, praying her silence meant that he'd finally gotten through to her.


	30. Chapter 30

Through tear-blurred vision, Sabrina unlocked her apartment door and went inside. She dropped her hoodie, purse and carry on amidst the the half-packed boxes and weaved her way through the maze to her bedroom, where she fell on top of the covers and buried her face in Will's pillow. After inhaling his scent, she let the tears flow in earnest as she recalled their scene in the airport.

Earlier...

_Attention passengers, preliminary boarding for flight 1127 to Chicago will begin pre-boarding in five minutes. Everyone with business class boarding passes should begin making their way to the gate. _

"That's me."

Sabrina, who'd been lost in thought over her conversation with Patrick last night, looked at WIll and said, "What?"

He looked at her and said, "I have to get ready to board."

Sabrina shook her head. "Yeah, of course we do. Duh. Let me just put my Kindle away. Can you hand me my phone and charging cord?"

Will grabbed Sabrina's phone and cord and put it in her outstretched hand, but he didn't remove his hand from on top of hers. Instead, he lifted his other hand and put it below hers. "You're not going with me," he declared.

Sabrina turned to look at him. "What?"

"I'm going, but you're staying here with your family."

Sabrina yanked her hand out of his and shoved her stuff into her purse. "What family?"

"Patrick and Emma"

"They aren't my family. I'm leaving with you." When Sabrina went to push up from her seat, Will stopped her.

"They would be if you let go of your fear of being hurt and give in. Patrick's been jumping through hoops to get you back and he's been slowly wearing you down. You're just scared to admit it."

"But, I love _you,_ Will."

Will smiled slightly. "I know you do, Sabrina, and I love you, too. You changed me. Because of you, I want one person to love and spend my life with."

Sabrina, now scared and upset, worked to keep her composure. "But you have that now - with me. And, we can have that together. In Seattle."

Will sighed. "No, we can't, because the one person for you isn't me. If we stay together, Patrick will always be there - like a ghost - and I refuse to be second best. I don't have it in me." When Sabrina's tears started to fall, Will used his thumb to wipe them away. "My ego just can't take it."

Sabrina laughed despite herself.

Will continued, "So, I'm going, but you're staying."

_Announcing the pre-boarding for flight 1127. Please make your way to the gate now if you are a business class passenger._

When Will stood up, he pulled Sabrina with him. Crying freely, she grabbed his hand as he went to pick up his carry-on and murmured, "Will…" Will pulled her into a tight hug and Sabrina held on for dear life. When he went to pull away from her, Sabrina whispered, "Please don't do this."

He smiled sadly at her and rubbed her upper arms in comfort. Then, Will leaned in and kissed her goodbye tenderly on the lips. Knowing in her head that his decision was the necessary one, but refusing to accept it in her heart, Sabrina wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, pouring all her love for him into it. When they broke apart, Will stared at her for a moment as if he was trying to memorize her face.

"I love you, Sabrina Santiago," he said as he brushed the tears from her eyes.

Sabrina could tell he was on the verge of crying as well, so she brought her hand up and caressed his cheek. "I love you, too, Will Foster. Always."

Will stepped back slightly and bent down to pick up his carry-on and backpack from the floor. When he went to walk away, Sabrina grabbed his free hand. "I'm not sure I can let you go." Desperate to keep him in her life, she impulsively asked, "What if you stay here with me?"

Will squeezed her hand reassuringly. "You have to let go, Sabrina, for both our sakes. I can't stay any more than you can leave. You know what this opportunity means for me and my career."

Sabrina nodded. Will had been so excited when he received the offer to run the trauma department at Grey-Sloan Memorial in Seattle a few weeks after he'd gone there for a conference. It was everything he'd worked toward since graduating medical school and she wouldn't ruin it for him by being selfish. Will slowly slid his hand out of hers and walked to the gate, but paused before entering the jetway. "If you're ever in Seattle, look me up. I just might be persuaded to break my one-woman resolve for you."

Sabrina smiled and blew him a kiss when Will gave her his trademark wink. Then, she watched him disappear into the jetway and, belongings in hand, stood by the window staring at the plane until it left.


	31. Chapter 31

The following Monday…

When Patrick got off the elevator and saw Sabrina tapping away on a keyboard at the nurses' station, he sighed in relief. If she was still in Port Charles, even temporarily, then he still had time to make her see reason. Patrick walked over to the nurses' station and stepped inside, stopping at the counter by Sabrina's computer.

"Hi."

Sabrina didn't look up. "Is there something you need, Patrick?"

"How was Seattle?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say 'wet'."

"You don't know?"

"No." She swiped her badge on the RFID scanner and logged off the computer. As she grabbed the notepad she kept in her pocket from which she'd been typing notes, she continued, "I didn't go."

At that, Patrick smiled brightly and pulled her into a hug. He was thisclose to swinging her around in a circle joyously when she pulled out of his embrace. "What _are_ you doing?"

"I'm sorry. I'm just so happy to finally have gotten through to you."

Sabrina frowned. "Well, don't be. Will left without me."

Patrick uttered a shocked, "What?" as Sabrina circled around him and stepped down, headed toward the patient rooms. He grabbed her by the hand and said, "Wait. Sabrina, what's going on?"

Sabrina pulled her hand away and turned to face him. "He dumped me. We were about to board the plane and he told me he was going, but I was staying. Then, he kissed me goodbye and he left."

"I don't understand…," he said confusedly. Patrick shook his head rapidly in an effort to make sense of her news, which caused a light bulb to go off in his brain. "Wait! It's because of us, isn't it?! He left you here because he knew that, even in Seattle, you wouldn't be able to let go of me."

"I'll bet you are just loving this, aren't you?" Sabrina asked, tears forming in her eyes. "Don't get too excited, Patrick. This doesn't mean anything has changed between you and me."

Patrick, upset at her pain but relieved Foster finally saw the light, said, "I don't like seeing you in pain. But it does mean that everything has changed, Sabrina."

Sabrina swiped the tears from her eyes defiantly and crossed her arms. "How so?"

"Will is in Seattle. You're here. You didn't follow him, profess your undying love and beg him to reconsider, which means that, deep down, the only place you want to be is here with me and Emma."

"Wow... Your ego is still huge isn't it?" Patrick shrugged his shoulders and smirked, but was brought down from his high when Sabrina said, "I stayed here because I know what it feels like to be in a relationship where the ex is always the elephant in the room and I won't do that to Will. He deserves better."

"Sabrina…"

She backed away and said with bravado, "So, I'm going to work like hell to get you out of my system and then I'm going to move to Seattle." Then, she pivoted on her heel and walked off.

Patrick watched Sabrina's retreating form and then wandered over to the vending machines, where he pulled out his phone. He brought up his messaging app, located Will's name and typed: _Thank you._

A few seconds later, he received a response. _Don't be. I didn't do it for you. I did it for her._

Patrick: _Still, I owe you._

Will: _Then don't break her heart again and we'll be even._

Patrick: _I don't plan to._

Will: _If you do, I swear to God…_

Patrick: _I won't._

A few seconds passed without a response, so Patrick went to put his phone in his pocket. Right before he did so, it buzzed, so he pulled it out and read the text from Foster.

_I love her enough to let her go; but don't think you get a free pass. If I find out she is unhappy, I'll be on the first plane back there to pick her up and bring her out here with me. And, if I do that, I guarantee I will use every trick in my romantic arsenal to make 100% sure that you NEVER cross her mind again. DO NOT BLOW IT._

Patrick had to give the Foster credit for using his new job as an excuse to break up with Sabrina. When he'd arranged to get Foster into that conference, Patrick never could have imagined things working out so damn well in his favor. Now he had real chance to get Sabrina back and he was literally giddy with joy. Knowing he wouldn't have the strength to let Sabrina go to be with someone else if he were in Foster's shoes, though, Patrick wrote: _Message Received. She's everything to me. _and then put his phone away. As he got his cheesy puffs from the vending machine, he thought about how he could get Sabrina to let go of her fear and finally accept him as her future.


	32. Chapter 32

**_Halloween_**

Sabrina, who'd been sitting on the couch eating cookies, looked up when she heard a key turning in the door. "What the?" She muttered to herself, a little frightened.

When she saw Felix burst through, she sighed in relief - and then took a nearby pillow and threw it at his head. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

Felix blocked the pillow with the hand he'd used to open the door and said snarkily, "Well at least a heart attack would get you out of this apartment."

Not wanting to hear Felix harp on her again about how she needed to get over her breakup with Will, who wasn't taking her calls, and move on, Sabina put up a hand and said, "Don't start."

Felix entered the apartment and stashed his stuff on the nearby chair. Then, he sat next to her and said in a serious voice, "Bri, you have to move on from this. I don't even care if you take Dr. Dreamboat back or not, but you can't spend all your free time moping around here alone."

"Why not? I like moping," Sabrina said in a pouty voice.

"Because it is stupid, Bri. You can't keep living in limbo. You have three choices: move to Seattle with Will; put Patrick out of his misery and take him back; or, say 'screw it' and live the life of a single independent woman who takes no crap - and doesn't mope around her apartment in her jammies eating cookies for weeks."

Sabrina, not wanting to commit to any of those decisions, whined, "_Felix._.."

Suddenly, Felix stood up and yanked her up with him. "But, you don't have to decide tonight." As she was about to plop back down and reach for her cookies, Fe stopped her. "Tonight we party."

"Party? What party?"

"The big bash at Wyndermere. Nik and Britt's engagement party 2.0."

Sabrina looked skeptical. "I don't know... I don't have anything to wear."

Fe walked over to the garment bag he had put on the chair and picked it up. "Yes, you do."

Sabrina rubbed her aching forehead with her hands. "You aren't going to stop badgering me unless I go, are you?"

"No."

"That's what I thought," Sabrina muttered as she walked over to him, grabbed the dress out of his hands and shuffled into her room to change.

* * *

As Patrick straightened the tie on his tux, he heard his phone ding. Pulling it out of his pocket, he read the message _Mission accomplished _and smiled. He knew if anyone could get Sabrina to go to the ball, it was Felix.

Patrick typed back _Excellent. Thx._ and then made his way to the living room to check on Emma and her new sitter, Sarah, a member of the new class of nursing students as GH, who had, ironically, been recommended by Sabrina. "Everything okay out here?"

Emma replied, "Fine, daddy," without even looking up from the game she was playing with Sarah. "You'd better go or you're gonna be late."

Sarah excused herself from Emma, who huffed at the interruption, and told Patrick they would be fine. After reminding her to keep the door locked, Patrick kissed Emma on the top of the head and left.

The sooner he got to Spoon Island, the sooner he would see Sabrina.

**_A little later at the Party..._**

Sabrina and Felix arrived at the Wyndermere and greeted the happy couple, who'd been able to work things out (finally) after Britt's lies about Ben blew up in her face. Ever since Britt delivered Gabriel, she and Sabrina had become friends, so Sabrina was genuinely happy for her. Sabrina had just gotten herself a drink from the bar when she heard her name from behind. When she turned around, Robin was standing there.

"Robin," she said coldly. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wanted to say hello and to apologize for the whole custody hearing thing. I was angry at everything that had happened and lashed out."

"Emma didn't deserve to be stuck in the middle. She loves both of you so much and it would have killed her to lose time with either one of you."

"I know that - which is why I dropped the lawsuit and worked things out with Patrick."

"Well, I'm glad. For Emma's sake."

The two women stood there in uncomfortable silence until Jason and Sam entered and Robin went over to talk to them. Sabrina gulped down her champagne in one swift motion and then turned around to get a new glass. As she was about to gulp that one down, she heard, "So, what was that about?" come from the person who sidled up next to her.

Knowing it was Patrick without even looking, Sabrina said, "She apologized for dragging me into your custody battle."

"Huh…" he said surprisedly as he grabbed a glass for himself. When Sabrina turned to face him, her breath caught at how handsome he looked in his tuxedo. Patrick smiled at her, but then asked, "Are you alright, Sabrina? You look tired."

Sabrina drank her champagne and said, honestly, "I haven't been sleeping much since…"

Patrick reached out with his free hand to rub her upper arm comfortingly. "I'm sorry."

Involuntarily, Sabrina snorted. "Yeah, right."

Serious, Patrick responded. "I love you, Sabrina. So, yes, it kills me to see you in pain. I know how much you cared about Foster."

Sabrina, chastised, locked eyes with Patrick and whispered, "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he said. Then, he sat his drink down and gently removed the empty glass from her hand. "Will you dance with me? Please?"

* * *

Patrick knew he was taking a chance asking Sabrina to dance; but, when he heard the music start, he decided to seize the opportunity anyway. The worst she could do is say no, right? Patrick hated seeing the woman he loved in pain, but he knew that Will ending their relationship was the best decision. He was willing to give Sabrina some time to get over it, but he wasn't going to sit idly by either.

Sabrina hesitated for a moment, then sighed sweetly, and said, "Alright." She added, "But no shenanigans," on a light voice, which made Patrick chuckle as he lead her to the dance floor.

As he took her into his arms and pulled her close to sway to the music, Patrick locked eyes with Sabrina and responded, "Honey, I'm not making any promises I can't keep."

Patrick's statement took him back to their rendezvous on Christmas Eve when everything between them had been so perfect and, he could tell from the way Sabrina was breathing and the slight blush that had appeared on her cheeks, that it did the same for her.

Just as Sabrina tilted her head back slightly in invitation to the kiss he'd been dying to give her, the music stopped and a collective gasp filled the room. When Patrick looked up, he saw Helena Cassadine standing by the entryway.

"I'm going to assume that my invitation got lost in the mail because I know there is no way that my dear grandson would exclude me from such a momentous occasion as his engagement to the daughter of Cesar Faison."

Patrick turned his attention from Helena to Nicholas, who whispered, "Grandmother?! But, I thought you were…"

Helena laughed maniacally. "Oh, Nicholas, you know better than to believe everything you hear, especially from the likes of Luke Spencer."

"But, how?" he asked, incredulously.

At that, Patrick turned his attention to his ex-wife, who had gone pale as a ghost, and knew that Robin's past was about to catch up to her. She'd saved Jason, but she'd also resurrected two people who were better off dead and now it seemed like Port Charles was going to pay the price.


	33. Chapter 33

Sabrina was confused. One second, she'd been in Patrick's arms on the verge of being kissed and the next the arrival of Nicholas' apparently dead grandmother had halted everything. Sabrina had heard stories of the havoc that Helena Cassadine had wreaked on the Spencer family from Elizabeth, so she knew the woman was not one to be taken lightly; however, Sabrina had no idea how she could be standing here, tonight, at Britt's engagement party.

After Helena's grand entrance, Sabrina followed Patrick's stare to Robin, who had gone pale, and the pieces began falling together. Robin had saved Jason, but there had been more to the story than either Patrick or Robin had disclosed to Port Charles.

After Nik asked, "But how?", Helena followed Patrick's suit and found Robin amongst the crowd. In a voice that brooked no argument Helena asked, "Dearest Dr. Scorpio-Drake, would you kindly join me?"

Robin defiantly straightened her back and said, "It's Scorpio, not Scorpio-Drake, and, I believe I'll pass, thanks."

Helena looked from Robin to Patrick, who still had Sabrina in his arms, and tsked. "Aww, such a shame, Dear Doctor. Shall I assume that you and Dr. Drake were unable to move past his indiscretion?"

Robin, now angry, said, "It's none of your business. What do you want, Helena?"

Helena got serious and said, "Turns out that my dear son has had some adverse side effects from your protocol. I'm going to need you to kindly come with me so that you can correct them post haste."

As Jason moved to stand behind Robin, she said, "Over my dead body. The deal was Jason in exchange for the protocol to resurrect you two. I did what what was required and any side effects either of you have from the serum is not my problem. I'm DONE. I've lost too much time with my daughter so as it is."

Helena blinked, surprised by Robin's continued defiance. "Shame." Then, she looked behind her and said, in a sickeningly sweet voice, "Victor, dear, it seems Dr. Scorpio needs a new incentive to assist us in our endeavor."

Sabrina heard a man's voice, presumably the man responsible for killing Gabriel, say, "Pity. I was so hoping that would be unnecessary."

When he entered the room, Sabrina reeled back in shock, as Patrick and Robin, in unison, shouted, "Emma!"

Sabrina felt Patrick tense next to her and then, in a deadly voice she never knew he possessed, threaten, "Victor. Let my daughter go. NOW!"

When he spoke, the entire room, including Helena, turned their attention from Robin, who was freaking out at seeing Emma in Victor's arms as well, to him. However, instead of following his command, Victor held Emma tighter and, in a conversational voice, said, "Ah, Dr. Drake. So we meet again. How have you been?"

Patrick's only response was a growl. Then, before Sabrina could do anything to stop him, Patrick lunged toward Victor. But, before he could get to Emma, he was stopped in his tracks as a gunshot rang out.

As Patrick clutched his chest and began to fall backward, Sabrina screamed and ran to catch him. "PATRICK! Oh, God!"

As Patrick's dead weight forced Sabrina to her knees, she begged for someone, anyone, to come and help. As Sabrina focused on the blood seeping through Patrick's shirt and trying to stop it, she heard Emma crying and screaming "DADDY!" as Robin yelled Patrick's name and began running over to them.

When Robin kneeled down next to Sabrina, the two of them began communicating as doctor and nurse and none of the bullshit from the past two years mattered. The only thing that mattered was saving the life of a man they both loved.


	34. Chapter 34

As Felix watched Patrick and Sabrina dance, he knew he did the right thing in convincing Sabrina to come to the party. He could tell she was still as head over heels in love with Patrick as he was with her, but she was too scared to admit it and was using her breakup with Will as an excuse to live in a cookie-filled limbo. Felix liked Will, but he also knew that Sabrina would never get really get over Patrick and figured that once Patrick finally got his head out of his ass and decided to pursue her, Sabrina would eventually break down and follow her heart. Will's move had been the best thing for everyone in the long run.

Fe had purposely made himself scarce when he saw Patrick make his way to Sabrina in order to give them a chance to talk, considering Patrick had gone to all the trouble to get Fe to help him get her there in the first place. Fe was still pissed at Patrick for breaking Sabrina's heart, but he wanted Sabrina happy more than he wanted to make Dr. Dreamboat suffer. Everything was going well and the two were about to kiss when some crazy lady ruined the moment and the entire party by barging in and gunning for Robin. He had to applaud Robin for not bowing to the pressure and wanting to stay with Emma, who clearly needed her. However, Fe was scared when that guy Victor brought Emma in as "incentive" to get Robin to cooperate and pissed off Patrick to a level Fe doubted anyone in town had ever seen before. Emma was everything to that man and you could literally see him switch into "beast" mode at seeing his daughter in that psycho's arms. Fe stood frozen as Patrick lunged for his daughter and was halted by Helena's gunshot. He watched in horror as Patrick clutched his chest in shock and began falling as Sabrina screamed and ran to catch him. In that moment, with Patrick's life in the balance, Fe knew that Sabrina had finally realized what the man truly means to her.

Chaos erupted as Sabrina shouted for help, Emma screamed bloody murder and Robin hightailed it to Patrick's side, agony on her face. As the two loves of Patrick's life worked to save him while the rest of the guests freaked out, another gunshot went off and the room went silent. Fe turned his attention from his best friend to the maniac holding the gun and scowled. He couldn't believe she would stand there cool as a cucumber while a man bled to death ten feet away. Helena calmly lowered her arm from above her head, put the gun back into her purse and said, "Now that I have everyone's attention, allow me to reiterate my request to dearest Dr. Scorpio to depart this island post haste."

Robin looked up from Patrick's bleeding body. "Are you crazy? Patrick needs to get to the hospital or he is going to die."

Helena looked Robin dead in the eye. "Well, then, I should consider that double the incentive to leave with us now, my dear - unless you want your daughter to watch her father bleed to death before her eyes. My friends outside have been instructed to allow no one on the island, by boat or air, until we have safely departed."

Fe saw Robin glance at Emma's freaked out tear-stained face and then she stood up and said, "Alright, I'll go. But, Emma stays here."

Helena and Victor exchanged glances. "We need her to ensure your cooperation. However, you may choose one person to accompany us to the helicopter with whom we will leave Emma after you are inside," Helena directed. "Choose wisely."

With no hesitation, Robin said, "Sabrina will come."

When Sabrina heard her name, she began freaking out. "What?! What about Patrick? He's going to bleed to death. I can't leave him."

Felix saw Robin look down at Sabrina pleadingly. "Please, Sabrina. You're the only one Emma will stay calm with."

When Sabrina hesitated, Felix made his move. He walked over to Patrick and pushed Sabrina away and began applying pressure on the wound himself. Then, he addressed his best friend. "Bri, you have to go. It's what Patrick would want." Then, he looked over to the Britch and added, "Britt and I will make sure nothing happens to Patrick while you're gone. Won't we?"

At that, Britt hurried over and laid a calming hand on Sabrina's shoulder. "Go. Felix and I will handle things here until the Medevac comes."

Sabrina still hesitated, but then stood up and looked at Emma and then Robin. "Alright. I'll go."

Helena clapped gleefully. "Wonderful!" Then she looked over at her grandson. "So sorry to have ruined your party, Nicholas, but rest assured that I am thrilled by your impending nuptials. With any luck, Dr. Scorpio will work quickly and enable both me and your father to attend."

Nicholas glared at Helena. "Don't bother, Grandmother. Neither of you are invited. You should have stayed dead."

Helena looked wounded at that comment, but regained her composure. "I know you don't mean that." Then, she turned to Robin and Sabrina, and said, "Come along ladies. Time is of the essence for Dr. Drake."

As Robin and Sabrina moved toward Helena and Victor, Fe saw Jason start to lunge. Helena quickly pulled her gun back out. "Now, now, Mr. Morgan... Don't make me undo all of Dr. Scorpio's hard work…"

Jason stopped and held his hands up in surrender. Then, he looked at Robin and said, "I won't be far behind you," much to Sam's chagrin. (Felix had the feeling that another marriage was about to hit a rough patch…)

Robin turned to Jason. "Make sure Emma and Patrick are safe before you do anything."

Felix saw Jason nod. When Sabrina reached Helena and Victor, she focused on Emma and whispered that it would be okay. Then, she addressed the man who killed her son. "I know what you did." When Victor looked at her questioningly, Sabrina continued, "If it is the last thing I ever do, I will avenge my son's death."

Felix knew Sabrina meant business by her statement, but guessed that Victor didn't because the guy had the gall to chuckle at her threat. Then, he said, "After you, Nurse Santiago. Dr. Scorpio."

When the women left with dastardly duo, Felix re-focused on Patrick, who had slipped into unconsciousness. As Britt worked with him to stifle the bleeding and stabilize him, Felix vowed not to let his best friend down. Patrick would survive this. There was simply no other alternative.


	35. Chapter 35

Twelve hours later…

"Sabrina, wake up."

Sabrina, who'd dozed off sitting vigil by Patrick's bedside, lifted her head from the mattress and looked around confusedly. "Huh?" she asked, as she spied Felix nearby.

Felix kneeled down next to her chair. "Maybe you should go to the on call room and get some rest."

Sabrina shook her head defiantly. "No. I'm not leaving." Then, she looked at the monitors and back at Felix. "No change?"

Felix shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry."

Sabrina briefly let go of Patrick's hand to rub the grogginess from her face. Then, she tried to smile bravely as she declared, "He'll wake up soon. He has to."

Sabrina watched as Felix checked Patrick's vitals and made some additional notes in his chart. She knew that he and Britt had done everything they could for Patrick while she went to the chopper with Robin and Emma. During their walk from the house to the aircraft, she and Robin nonverbally buried the hatchet for the sake of Emma and Patrick, who they both loved immensely. Emma had been frantic when Victor and Helena made Robin get on the chopper without saying goodbye first and it had taken Sabrina forever to calm her down afterward. All Sabrina had wanted to do was help Patrick, but she knew that Patrick would have put Emma first, so Sabrina did, too. When she got back to the house with Emma, Sabrina was informed that the Medevac was on its way to GH and that Britt and Felix were with Patrick. Since Emma was worried sick about her father, Sabrina decided to bring her along to GH. Unfortunately, by the time they got there, Patrick had already been taken to surgery for the gunshot, so neither of them got to see him. Emma eventually fell asleep in Sabrina's arms.

After a while, Monica came out and informed the small crowd of her, Emma (still asleep), Britt, Felix, Elizabeth, Sam and Mac that he had made it through the surgery and they were able to repair the damage but that Patrick was still considered critical and would need to be monitored in the ICU closely for complications. After taking Emma (who refused to take no for an answer) into Patrick's room for a short visit, Sabrina settled in to keep watch, willing him to wake up so that she could tell him how much she loved him.

After Felix left, Sabrina stood up to stretch her legs. When she did so, she brushed Patrick's hair from his face and bent over to kiss him on the forehead. Then, she sat back down in her chair and grasped his hand in between both of hers. "Patrick, you need to wake up, okay? Not only for Emma, who is scared out of her mind, but for me, too, so that I can tell you I love you." As tears started to fall, she continued, "I've been such an idiot and wasted so much time that we could have had together because I've been too scared to trust that when you say you love me and want to be with me, you mean it."

Sabrina raised his hand to her lips, placed a featherlight kiss on it and then held it to her cheek. "You were right when you said that you're as much a piece of me as I am of you. When you got shot, I saw the life we could have had together flash before my eyes and I realized there is nowhere else I want to be but here with you and Emma, just like you said." Tears falling in earnest, Sabrina removed one of her hands from Patrick's in order to wipe them away. "So, please come back to me. I love you and want to be with you."

Finished, she placed their remaining joined hands on his mattress and let her head fall on top and closed her eyes, weary from lack of sleep and frightened that she'd lost her chance thanks to her stubbornness.

Sabrina was brought out of her self-induced pity-party when she felt Patrick's hand twitch. Surprised, she looked up and saw that his eyes were open. Knowing she should call someone, but scared to look away, she murmured his name just as he cracked a slight smile and whispered, "It's about damn time."


	36. Chapter 36

Patrick remembered everything. Every single horrifying moment since Helena shot him in the chest. The shock. The anger. The pain. The fear. It all melded together as he sank to the floor cradled in Sabrina's arms as Robin was, once again, kidnapped by maniacs – this time using his daughter as leverage. When he saw Emma, frightened out of her wits, in Victor's arms, he lost it. A rage he never knew he possessed exploded to the surface and he lunged to save his daughter without any rational thought whatsoever. Had he paused to consider the situation, Patrick would have realized that Helena was unpredictable at best and maniacal at worst and he would have handled things differently; but, he hadn't. And now, because of his impulsiveness, the people he cared about were going through agony.

As the blinding pain from the gunshot wound enveloped him, Patrick fought to stay awake while Robin and Sabrina tried to save his life. His vision got blurry as he switched his focus from Sabrina, who was crying and begging him to stay with her as she tried to stop the bleeding; to Robin, who commanded him (as usual) to listen to what she was telling him; and, finally, to Emma, scared but fighting like a hellcat against Victor's hold. Patrick wanted to tell them all that he loved them, but when he opened his mouth, no sound came out. He began to slip from consciousness as Robin agreed to leave with them and chose Sabrina to be the one to get Emma. When Sabrina began freaking out over leaving him, Patrick was glad when Felix said the things he didn't have the energy to say. Emma was what mattered, not him; and, if there was a choice between his life or hers, it would always be hers. Patrick lost the battle to stay awake sometime on the chopper. He didn't know when.

Patrick remembered hearing voices encouraging him to hang on and telling him to be strong, but he didn't know how much time had passed between being shot and ending up here, on this bed, in a drug-induced haze. Based on the fact that every breath he took was like fire, he knew he wasn't dead; but, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to escape the fog. Patrick felt Sabrina's presence with him in the room and her hand touching his gave him comfort and encouragement to fight. He'd just managed to break free when he heard her confess everything he'd wanted to hear for so long – that she loved him and wanted to be with him. Since jumping for joy was out of the question, Patrick, who was still a little afraid he was dreaming, shifted his hand to get her attention. When she looked up and into his eyes, he knew that everything Sabrina had confessed was true and real and he said the first thing that came to his mind. "It's about damn time."

At his comment, Sabrina, who'd been crying, laughed as she sniffled. Then, she said sweetly, "Welcome back." After, she told him he was in the hospital and asked if he remembered what happened.

Patrick, still weak, nodded. Then, "Emma?"

"She's fine. She is with Mac and Felicia. I got her safely back to the house with me and then we came here. She visited with you briefly, but afterward Mac took her home with him to get some rest."

"Robin?"

"She's gone. She didn't want to go, but they made her get on the chopper before they would give me Emma. As soon as I got back to the house with her, Jason called Sonny and hightailed it out of there in pursuit. Anna is also looking for her. They'll bring her back, Patrick."

"I know." Then he added, "Jason owes her."

At that, Sabrina nodded. "You had me scared, you know. That was really a dumb thing to do."

Patrick shrugged, unable and unwilling to argue. "Don't _ever_ do anything like that again," Sabrina added in a bossy voice. "Or, Helena will be the least of your problems."

Patrick chuckled. "Don't… plan… on… it," he rasped out.

"Good – because losing you like we lost Gabriel would break me, Patrick," Sabrina said honestly. Then, she stood and brushed his hair from his forehead. "I couldn't survive it."

When she went to sit back down, Patrick motioned for her to stop and come closer. When she leaned down, he whispered. "Neither could I. I love you."

Sabrina kissed him lightly on the lips. "I love you, too." She lingered there for a moment and then raised back up. "I'd better let them know you're awake before I get in trouble. I'll be right back, okay?"

Patrick smiled and Sabrina turned to exit. Before she did so, however, she blew him a kiss. As he waited for her to return, Patrick vowed that now that she'd finally given in, there was no way he'd let her go again. Ever.


	37. Chapter 37

_Two weeks later…_

Patrick leaned heavily on Sabrina as she unlocked the door to his apartment not because he needed to (well, at least not as much as he was), but because he wanted to. Ever since he woke up in the hospital, he and Sabrina had been closer than ever. She had finally let go of her reservations and agreed to give their relationship another try and he was ecstatic. Although Sabrina hadn't left his side except to work or take care of Emma in the past few weeks, hospitals weren't exactly conducive to privacy, so Patrick was definitely glad to be home.

As soon as they walked through the door, Emma plowed into his legs, knocking him off balance. "DADDY!"

Sabrina said, "Emma, honey… careful," as she stabilized him. Patrick said, "It's okay," to Sabrina and then reached down and patted Emma on the head. When she looked up, he smiled. "Hey, kiddo. I missed you."

Emma squeezed his leg harder. "I missed you too, Daddy."

"Emma, why don't we let daddy sit down on the couch and then you can give him a careful hug, okay?" Sabrina said as she steered the two of them toward the couch.

As soon as Patrick sat down, wincing in pain, Emma bounded up next to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "I was so scared for you daddy," she whispered and then started crying onto his shirt.

Patrick patted Emma on the back in comfort. "I was scared for you, too, honey, which is why the mean lady shot me. But, I'm okay and I'm not going anywhere."

Emma looked up. "What about mommy?"

"A lot of people who care about your mommy are looking for her right now and will bring her home as soon as they can." Patrick shifted Emma so that she was sitting on his lap. "I know she wants nothing more than to be here with you."

Emma looked down sadly. "I miss her. I wish she could stay here."

"I know you do, sweetheart. And, I know that mommy misses you, too. But, in the meantime, you have me and Sabrina, okay?" When Emma glumly nodded, Sabrina added, "And Sarah, too," as the sitter came out of the kitchen.

Sara looked at Emma and then at Patrick. Worriedly, she said, "Dr. Drake… I'm _so_ sorry… I tried to stop them, but…"

Patrick felt horrible that Sarah had gotten caught in the middle of the explosive situation, so he said, "It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself. I don't blame you."

Sarah nodded resolutely and then said, "Hey, Emma, we'd better get to Darcy's or you're going to miss her birthday sleepover."

When Emma hesitated and then turned around and burrowed back into him, he whispered, "You don't want to miss Darcy's party, do you? You've been looking forward to it for so long."

In response, Emma just whimpered, so Patrick gently pried her off of him. "Emma, honey, it will be fine. You can go to Darcy's tonight and I'll be here tomorrow morning when you come back. I promise."

"Promise, daddy?"

"Absolutely," Patrick said reassuringly.

At that, Sabrina chimed in. "I'll pick you up for your daddy tomorrow morning after breakfast, okay?" Then, she helped Emma climb off of him and assisted her with her coat as Sarah gathered Emma's overnight bag and Darcy's present. Then, Patrick smiled as he watched Sabrina and Emma hug goodbye sweetly right before Emma came over and kissed him goodbye.

Once the door closed behind Emma and Sarah, Patrick held up his hand to Sabrina and waved her over. When she sat down next to him on the couch, he pulled her close and said, "Alone at last."

Sabrina looked up at him with a side-eye. "Patrick…"

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You literally just got out of the hospital. You need rest," she scolded.

Patrick tipped her chin up gently with his free hand. "No, Sabrina, I need you," he murmured right before he leaned in and kissed her.


	38. Chapter 38

Sabrina never could resist Patrick when he was charming and it was even harder to do so now that she'd come so close to losing him. So, when he whispered that he needed her and kissed her so tenderly, Sabrina allowed herself to give in despite her reservations over hurting him. Like always, however, their kiss transitioned from sweet to passionate and Sabrina leaned into him, wanting to be close. However, when she reflexively laid her hand on his chest, Patrick moaned, but not in pleasure, and Sabrina pulled away. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, Sabrina. I'm fine."

"Clearly you aren't fine, Patrick, because you're wincing as you say that," Sabrina said, exasperated, as she got up off the couch.

"Please come back and sit with me," Patrick requested, giving her the puppy eyes he knew she was a sucker for.

"It's late," Sabrina said, willing herself not to give in. "I should get you to bed."

Patrick smirked. "Well, I'm definitely not going to argue with that."

Sabrina rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant and you know it." When Patrick shifted to get up from the couch, Sabrina rushed over to him and helped him up.

"You can't blame a guy for trying," Patrick said as Sabrina walked him into his bedroom. Patrick undressed while Sabrina untucked the covers for him. When he was done, she helped him lay down and get settled. Even though she was a nurse, the sight of the bandage on his chest got to her and she found herself needing to sit down. Since she had plopped next to him on the edge of the bed without warning, he asked, "Sabrina, are you alright?"

"Yeah," she said. "It's just… ah…"

Patrick reached for her hand and put it in his. "Please tell me what's wrong. Is it the bandage?"

Sabrina felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. "It's just that it's a reminder of how close I came to losing you and, when I let myself think about it, it just throws me."

"How so?"

"Life can change just like that." Sabrina snapped the fingers of her free hand to emphasize the statement. "One moment, everything can be perfect, and the next, you can lose it all. We were so happy and then Robin appeared and life as I knew it ended."

When Patrick tried to interrupt, Sabrina said, "No, let me finish, please." Then, she continued. "Don't you see? I knew you were going to pick her. There was no question in my mind even though I foolishly let Felix try to convince me otherwise. I was devastated, Patrick, but then I found out about the baby. While I was shocked, I knew that God had given me this wonderful miracle - a reminder of the love we'd shared. Only, that didn't last either because I lost Gabriel, too. Puerto Rico helped, but there is a huge hole in my heart that will never heal. Then, I got you back and I thought… I don't know… that maybe we could have a future together after all. That if you fell in love with me again and Robin came home, you would choose me…" Sabrina, tears now falling, sniffled. "But you didn't, Patrick, and I ended up hopelessly in love and alone."

"Sabrina, I…"

"You know, I loved Will. I really did. Do. But, he wasn't you and he never could take your place in my life or my heart; so, that's why I fought so hard against you when you left Robin and began pursuing me. To risk my heart only to have it broken yet again? I'd be crazy." Sabrina wiped her tears away with her free hand and then traced the outline of the bandage on Patrick's chest. "But, when you got shot, I realized that it would be crazier to keep you at arm's length because losing you forever would be unbearable."

* * *

Patrick listened to Sabrina pour her heart out to him and he was in awe of her inner strength. Sure, he knew that he'd broken her heart, but he never really grasped how deeply his actions had affected her until now. Patrick brought his free hand up to trap Sabrina's between it and his bandage. "I'm so sorry, Sabrina."

"You don't have to apologize, Patrick."

"Yeah, I think I do," he said. "I took you and our future together for granted. Despite what you may have thought, you were never a replacement for Robin. But you weren't her either. I had finally come to terms with her death and then she showed up at the church. As much as I loved you, I just couldn't imagine living another moment of my life without her and it killed me to break your heart. However, when we got back together, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. I had everything I thought I always wanted, yet I still couldn't help but wonder how you were. You were avoiding me and it hurt more than I wanted to admit. Then, Felix told me you were pregnant and I was completely thrown. Although the part of me was relieved when you told me that Carlos was the father, it really stuck in my craw that you could sleep with _him_ on _our_ wedding night and lie to my face about it."

"I shouldn't have lied about sleeping with Carlos."

"I wish you wouldn't have, but I get why you did. When you told me the truth, Robin was in the midst of leaving me and Emma for Jason, so I was distracted by that and missed out on so much of your pregnancy. By the time I'd gotten used to the idea of being a father again, we lost our son, which killed me as much as it did you, Sabrina. The only thing that kept me going was Emma. Then, I don't know what happened; but, suddenly, you were back in my life and everything was good again. Even though I knew you weren't really mine any more than I was yours, I couldn't stop myself because you made me so happy." Patrick exchanged a smile with Sabrina, remembering how good things were between them.

Sabrina smiled back. "I was happy, too."

Sobering and sighing, he continued with the words he knew he needed to say. "When Robin came back the second time, it was different. You were all I could think about, but I wouldn't let myself give up on my marriage. It wasn't until I saw us on that video screen that I finally woke up and realized you were the person I wanted for my future, not Robin; but, by then you were with Foster and determined not to let me back into your life. I guess it's a good thing, though, that I was just as determined to show you that he could never be what you need."

Sabrina smiled. "You were right, though, Patrick. If I'd moved to Seattle, I would have been running away. I just refused to see it."

Patrick winced, but not from pain. "Yeah, about that…"

"What?" Sabrina asked, now suspicious.

"The convention at Grey-Sloan wasn't Monica's idea. It was mine."

"What?!"

"I thought that if I could get you alone, with him out of the picture, that I could break down your walls; so, I convinced Monica to send him."

"You're kidding, right?" Sabrina laughed and then said, "Wait a minute! Did you know they would offer him a job?"

Patrick shook his head. "No. That was just pure luck."

"Oh my gosh! No wonder you were so frantic when Felix told you I was moving!"

Patrick shrugged. "Yeah... That almost backfired on me pretty badly."

"I'd say so." Sabrina chuckled, but turned serious. "What would you have done if I'd left?"

"Followed you," Patrick declared without hesitation. "I told you I wasn't giving up, Sabrina, and I meant it…." Then, feeling the need to lighten the moment, he joked, "However, if I knew all it would take to get you back was a bullet in the chest, I would have gotten myself shot months ago."

Sabrina pulled her hand from his and smacked him in the arm. "That's not funny."

"Sorry," he said sheepishly as he gently squeezed her other hand, still on top of his chest.

Sabrina said, "I'll forgive you this time," and then leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek. When she went to pull away, Patrick used his free hand to stop her. He locked eyes with her and whispered, "Stay with me."

"But I don't want to hurt you."

"What if I promise not to move?" he asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

Sabrina sat upright. "Then I think you'd be making a promise we both know you can't keep."

Patrick was about to issue another plea to get Sabrina to stay when she suddenly reached up and pulled the clip out of her hair. As the auburn strands cascaded down her back, Patrick realized he'd won. She would stay and he would finally be able to show her how much he loved her.


	39. Chapter 39

Sabrina felt freer knowing she'd laid all of her cards on the table with Patrick and, based on his heartfelt response, she realized they'd reached a new level of understanding in their relationship where the past was the past and the future was what mattered. Even though she was a little miffed that he'd ultimately orchestrated her breakup with Will, Sabrina couldn't help but appreciate the trouble he'd gone to in order to get her back.

Sabrina wanted Patrick as much as he wanted her, but she also didn't want to aggravate his injury. The last thing either of them needed was for him to end up back in the hospital. However, Patrick was determined and Sabrina knew he wasn't likely to stop trying to convince her to make love anytime soon, despite the orders of his doctor. So, she gave in to what she wanted all along anyway.

After she let down her hair, she glanced at Patrick, who was grinning in triumph. "I'll stay, but there are ground rules, okay?"

"I'll do whatever you say," Patrick said as he reached for her.

Sabrina, however, stood up and backed away slightly. "Nah-uh," she teased as she removed her v-neck tshirt. "Rule number one is that you have to promise to tell me if it hurts." Then, as she kicked off her ballet flats and began sliding her skinny jeans down her legs, she added, "And rule number two is that you have to do your best not to pull your stitches."

Patrick nodded and his eyes filled with desire as Sabrina stepped out of her jeans and walked back to the bed and climbed up. "Because, I really don't feel like having to patch you back up tonight."

Then, as Sabrina straddled him, only their underwear and a thin sheet separating them, she smiled seductively and leaned down, placing her hands on either side of his head. "Is it a deal?"

Patrick ground out, "Deal," and then surprised her by reaching up, grasping her behind neck and pulling her lips to his.

* * *

Patrick was in pain, but not the kind Sabrina was concerned about. He wanted her, badly, and would have agreed to any dumbass rules she set forth just to end the slow torture of having to watch her undress from a distance. The woman gave as good as she got in the bedroom and he could tell she was relishing in the power she wielded right now.

When Sabrina settled on top of him, so close, yet so far away, it pushed him to his breaking point and he pulled her down for a smoldering kiss. After he broke away, he drank in the sight of her flushed with arousal and struggling to breathe. Even now, when he wasn't at the top of his game physically, he loved that he was still able to affect her like that.

Sabrina recovered and sat up. As she reached for the clasp of her bra, she threatened, "You're gonna pay for that."

Before Patrick could jest back, it dawned on him that Sabrina was wearing the lingerie she'd bought 'him' last Christmas. "Ah, Sabrina?"

"Yeah?" she asked as her hands froze.

"I have to hand it to you. You almost had me."

She eyed him and then said, "I don't know what you're talking about," with an innocent look on her face.

"The resistance was all just a giant smokescreen, wasn't it?" he teased.

Sabrina laughed nervously. "Ah… I think those painkillers are affecting your brain."

"That they are, honey, but my eyesight is fine. And I will never forget that lingerie - or what it looks like puddled on the floor." To hammer home his point, Patrick reached up and slowly traced the outline of the bra with his finger.

When Sabrina swallowed guiltily and muttered, "Dammit," Patrick raised a triumphant brow.

Then, she sighed and said, "Oh, well," as she unclasped the strapless bra. Using one hand to hold it up in the front, she began making lazy circles on his stomach with the other. "You caught me. The question is: What are you going to do about it?"

Patrick, who wasn't nearly as banged up from his wound as Sabrina believed, moved like lightning and trapped her wrist in his hand. He took advantage of her shock and yanked her down until she was centimeters from his chest. Then, Patrick planted the elbow of his free arm on the mattress and used it, along with his legs, as leverage to shift Sabrina off of him and onto the mattress beside him.

Smiling at her squeak of shock as she landed flat on her back, Patrick lifted himself up and turned his body sideways so that he was hovering slightly over her. Always adept at multitasking, he ripped the bra from her grasp as he leaned down and smiled wickedly, "I'm not really sure; but I think I'll have fun finding out."

At that, Sabrina wrapped her arms around his neck and, right before she captured his lips in a kiss, whispered, "I like sound of that."


	40. Chapter 40

A week later...

"Patrick, are you sure about this?" Sabrina asked as she helped Patrick off the elevator at the Metro Court. "You've only been out of the hospital a short time. We didn't need to go out to dinner so soon."

Patrick squeezed her hand and said, "I'm fine, Sabrina, really. It only hurts when I move the wrong way." He smiled down at her and continued. "I finally have you back and I want to show you off."

Carly met them at the entrance. After asking Patrick how he was feeling, she said, "I have your table ready. Follow me."

When Carly lead them to the the table they'd shared on their first date, Patrick thanked her and then pulled Sabrina's chair out for her, but Sabrina hesitated to sit. "Um, maybe I should help you instead of the other way around."

"Sabrina, please stop babying me. I'm perfectly capable of pushing in your chair and then walking two feet and sitting myself down," he said, exasperated. "You're making it really hard for me to be chivalrous here…"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." She knew that she shouldn't be babying Patrick like this, but she was a nurturer at heart and couldn't help but want to take care of him, especially since she came so close to losing him. When Sabrina sat down, Patrick pushed her chair in and said, "I'll forgive you this time," as he leaned down to kiss her quickly on the lips.

When Patrick was seated, the two of them exchanged polite chit chat until the waiter came over to take their orders. After Patrick ordered a bottle of her favorite wine, Sabrina got suspicious. "You aren't supposed to be drinking with your painkillers. What's going on?"

"Nothing," he said innocently.

Sabrina was still suspicious, but she decided to drop it. "Alright… If you say so."

As they ate, Sabrina kept stealing glances at Patrick. Although they were closer than ever, she still had a hard time believing it was all true - that they were in love, back together and happy. A small part of Sabrina couldn't help but wait for the other shoe to drop because that's what always seemed to happen when she and Patrick were happy.

When they were done, Patrick scooted his chair over until he was beside her. Then, he took her hand and raised it to his lips for a quick kiss. "Patrick, you've been acting weird since we got here. What is going on?"

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?"

"Yeah... several times." Remembering how they almost missed their reservation because Patrick was busy complimenting more than her outfit, Sabrina blushed.

"Well, it's as true now as it was earlier. However..."

"What?"

"I think something is missing," Patrick said as he reached into his blazer pocket.

Sabrina, confused, replied, "I don't know what could be missing?" Then she leaned in and whispered, "I distinctly remember putting everything back on that you took off earlier."

Patrick laughed quietly at her comment and leaned in to whisper back, "But you weren't wearing this earlier." Then, he lifted his hand and opened it, revealing her engagement ring as he added, "and you definitely wouldn't have had to take it off for us to make love."

Sabrina was speechless at the sight of her engagement ring in the palm of his hand. As she looked back and forth between it and Patrick's hopeful face, a million thoughts raced through her mind.

* * *

Patrick had been planning this moment since the day he woke up in the hospital to Sabrina's confession of love. Unfortunately, since she kept babying him, she refused to go out with him until today and even that had been like pulling teeth.

When he picked Sabrina up at her apartment earlier, she'd looked so breathtaking that he'd been compelled to kiss her senseless. Of course, one thing led to another and they'd almost missed their reservation. Sabrina tried to convince him to stay in bed with her instead of going out and had actually pouted when he got up to get dressed again. It took some cajoling, but eventually Patrick used Sabrina's manners against her by claiming that it would be rude to not show up for a planned reservation.

Patrick had barely been able to get through dinner without giving away his surprise. Now that he had, however, he wasn't getting quite the reaction he'd anticipated and he was worried.

When she looked from the ring to him and back again, Sabrina had the look of a deer caught in headlights. "Sabrina... Honey, are you okay?"

Sabrina swallowed, took a deep breath and said, "Um... I just didn't... Ah... Expect this."

Patrick tried to lighten the moment by saying, "Well, that _is _the point of a surprise."

Sabrina chuckled at that, but didn't say anything else, so Patrick pressed on with his plan. He'd gotten about two words into his proposal when Sabrina suddenly uttered, "Stop!"

"Huh?"

"Please don't do it," she pleaded.

"What? Why?" He asked, both confused and a little hurt.

Sabrina gently used her free hand to close his fingers back around the ring and then looked him in the eye and said, "Because I won't have the strength to say 'no' if you do."

At that, Patrick was lost. He'd never in a bazillion years considered that Sabrina wouldn't accept his proposal. "No?" He echoed, just to make sure he'd heard correctly.

Sabrina answered, "I'm not saying 'no', Patrick, I'm just saying not right now."

"But, why not? We finally have each other back after being apart for so long. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Sabrina let go of his hands and then leaned closer and put one on his knee and used the other to touch his cheek. "You know I love you and I don't want to be anywhere but beside you for the rest of my life, too; but,this is really fast, Patrick. You just got out of the hospital after being shot in the chest, the ink is barely dry on your divorce papers and Emma is frantic with worry over her mother."

"But don't you see, Sabrina, those are all the reasons why we shouldn't wait. Life is too short and unpredictable. I don't want to spend another minute of my life without you beside me - living with me and Emma as the family we're supposed to be."

Sabrina smiled at that, but then countered, "I'm practically living with you two already. Can't we just be a couple in love for a while? Let the dust settle from everything that happened and focus on getting Emma through Robin's absence?"

Patrick, feeling sorry for himself, pouted, "Robin's been gone before. Emma will adjust."

"This time is different, Patrick. She watched you get shot and then saw her mother dragged into a helicopter without even getting to say goodbye. It took me over a half hour out there to calm her down. She won't adjust until her mother is home. Us getting married won't distract her from that or make anything better for her."

"Yeah... I suppose you're right," he admitted reluctantly. "I just want our life together as a family to start."

Sabrina kissed him sweetly on the lips. Then, she pulled back and said, "We don't need rings or a piece of paper to be a family, Patrick. We already are. Being together is what matters. The rest can wait."

Even though everything Sabrina said made logical sense, Patrick couldn't help but feel like there was more to her refusal than she was letting on. "Are you sure there is nothing else stopping you here, Sabrina? I thought for sure you would want to marry me as much as I want to marry you."

Sabrina nervously swiped a strand of hair away from her eyes. "No, why would you say that? I just think we need some time, that's all..." Then, she grabbed his hand and tugged on it as she said suggestively, "Why don't we get out of here?"

Patrick nodded and put the ring back in his pocket. He knew Sabrina well enough to know that she wasn't going to budge on this tonight. But, given time and the proper persuasion, he would get her to come around. He had to.


	41. Chapter 41

Sabrina, dressed down, was cooking dinner for Patrick and Emma, who were decorating for Christmas, when there was a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" Sabrina said cheerfully, not wanting to disturb them, as today was a good day for Emma and those were few and far between lately.

When she opened the door, she saw Robin standing there with Jason close behind. "Ah... Emma, would you come here please? It's for you."

As Robin mouthed "Thank you," to Sabrina, Patrick asked, "What do you mean, Sabrina? Who could be here for Emma this late on a school night?"

Sabrina turned toward the living room and gave Patrick a look that she hoped conveyed exactly who was at the door. When he raised a brow in semi-understanding, she nodded and he got up, picked up Emma and brought her to the door saying, "Let's see who it is," as he made his way over.

When they reached the entryway, Sabrina moved aside so Emma could see Robin. When the little girl squealed, "MOMMY!" and launched herself out of Patrick's arms, Robin caught her.

Sabrina teared up as she watched the two embrace while Jason nudged Robin inside and closed the door behind them. Once they were inside, Robin sank to her knees with Emma and pulled away so she could look at her. "Are you okay, baby? I missed you so much."

Emma nodded emphatically. "I'm okay, mommy. I was worried about you after those mean people took you away."

Robin wiped the tears from Emma's eyes and reassured her daughter. "You don't need to worry about those mean people anymore. They won't hurt me or your daddy ever again." At that, Sabrina noticed Patrick look to Jason, who nodded once in the affirmative.

"Really?"

"Yeah, baby, really. Jason, Grandma Anna and Grandpa Robert took care of everything."

At that, Emma clapped. "Yay!" Then, she looked in the living room where the half-decorated tree stood. "Wanna come see our decorations, mommy?!"

"I'd like that, Emma, but I really need to talk to daddy first. Why don't you show Jason what you've done in the meantime?"

Sabrina had to hand it to Jason. She could tell he would much rather have been a part of their conversation than sit with Emma as she showed him all of her decorations, but he was a good sport and went over to the tree with her.

Once they were gone, Robin turned to Patrick and pulled him into a tight hug.

* * *

When Robin pulled him into the hug, Patrick glanced at Sabrina. However, instead of being upset, as he expected, she was actually smiling. They stood there like that for about a minute until Robin pulled away, crying, and cupped his face in her hands. Worriedly she asked, "I've been so worried about you. Are you alright, Patrick?"

"I'm fine," he replied, truly sick of answering that question, but trying to be understanding in this instance. "No major damage. Either Helena wasn't shooting to kill me or being a popsicle seriously messed with her vision."

Patrick laughed at his own joke, but neither Sabrina nor Robin reciprocated. "What? That was funny…"

Sabrina rolled her eyes while Robin scolded him. "It was not. You could have died, Patrick. What the hell were you thinking?"

"That's the problem, Robin, I wasn't thinking. I saw Emma in Victor's arms and I just lost it. After all the trouble that man caused our family, I just snapped."

"Robin glanced at Jason playing with Emma and then said, "Well, we don't have to worry about him - or any of them - anymore."

Patrick, wary, asked, "What happened?"

"I think the less you know, the better, for your sake and Emma's. Just in case."

Patrick was about to question Robin some more, but the smoke detector started going off in the kitchen and Sabrina shouted, "Oh, no, dinner!" as she ran through the swinging doorway. Before Patrick could follow, Jason jumped up from the couch and ran to the kitchen, saying, "Got it," as he went past.

Patrick harrumphed. "No job is too small for 'Super Jason', huh?"

Robin chuckled. "Really, Patrick? What are you? Three?" Then, she looked at him, really looked at him, and added, "My God, you're jealous, aren't you?"

"No… I'm not. I just… could have handled it... but he always has to be the hero." Then, for good measure, he added, "Even if the villain is a smoke alarm."

Robin laughed wholeheartedly. "Wow. I thought you were bad on the Fourth when Dr. Delicious was fawning all over her, but this is way worse…. Which leads me to assume the two of you are back together."

"Yeah, we are," Patrick answered honestly.

He saw sadness cross Robin's face, but she recovered quickly and said, "Congratulations." Patrick, feeling bad for what they'd lost, said, "Robin…," but she cut him off. "No, really, I'm glad. When you got shot, I knew that she was the only other person capable of calming Emma down. If we can't be together, then I'm glad the two of you have Sabrina."

"Really?" Patrick asked, skeptically. "So.. We're good?"

"Yeah, Patrick, we're good." Robin looked away briefly and wiped her eyes. Then, she turned back. "I was wondering if I could take Emma home with me tonight - and for a few days? I know it's not scheduled, but, I was hoping…"

"Of course, Robin. You've been gone for weeks and she's been distraught. I know Emma would like nothing more than to spend time alone with you."

"Thanks," Robin said as she reached out to squeeze his hand. He reciprocated as they shared a smile and then he watched as Robin went to tell their daughter the good news.


	42. Chapter 42

Christmas Eve...

Patrick was loading the dishes into the dishwasher from their early Christmas dinner when Sabrina snuck up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. "You don't have to do that."

Patrick pivoted in her embrace and said, "You cooked. I can handle the dishes."

Sabrina lifted on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

He pulled her close into a hug. "I'm happy to do it. I'm enjoying spending our first Christmas together."

"Me, too. The last two were pretty crazy, huh?"

"That's an understatement," he said on a laugh.

Sabrina looked up and smiled. "So far, this one has been blessedly uneventful – and I'm really hoping it stays that way."

Patrick knew what she meant. Two Christmas Eve's ago, he broke her heart in the worst possible way, which had nearly killed him. Then, last Christmas Eve, Robin appeared out of the blue. While that should have been a happy moment for Patrick, it wasn't because it once again upended his life. But, in a way, he was thankful because her return forced him to face the truth: that Sabrina was the woman he belonged with.

Patrick was really glad that things had calmed down. Emma was her old self now that Robin was home. He was completely recovered from his gunshot wound and back on a full schedule at work. And, most importantly, Sabrina, Robin and he had found a way to co-exist with no drama. Apparently, his brush with death had forced them to let bygones be bygones, which couldn't have pleased Patrick more.

Choosing his words carefully, Patrick said, "I'm sure all the bad surprises are behind us and that we'll have a great holiday together." Now that the dust had settled in their lives, Patrick was more focused on the future than ever. He loved being in love with Sabrina and spending time with her and Emma, but he wanted more. He wanted the life he now realized they should have had two years ago - and would have had if he'd made a different decision when he entered her apartment that night.

On a sigh, Sabrina agreed. "God, I really hope so."

Just as he was about to lean down to kiss her, Emma came into the kitchen. "Daddy! When are we doing presents? We have to leave for the story soon and then I'm going home with mommy."

Patrick whispered, "Raincheck?" to Sabrina. After she nodded, he turned his attention to Emma, "Okay, kiddo. Let's do this."

As they were walking out to the tree in the living room, Sabrina gasped. "Oh, man! I just remembered that I forgot one of Emma's presents in my apartment." She hurried to her purse and pulled out her keys. "I'll be right back. Don't open anything without me, okay?"

Emma smiled. "We won't. Will we daddy?"

"Nope," he said. Once the door had closed behind Sabrina, Patrick looked down to Emma and shared a conspiratorial wink. "Is Sabrina's special present still under the tree?"

"Yep!"

When Patrick high-fived her, Emma asked, "Do you think she'll like it?"

"I think she'll love it."

* * *

As Sabrina made her way back to Patrick and Emma's apartment, she couldn't help but smile. They'd finally managed to spend a Christmas together with no drama or surprises and it was as wonderful as she had imagined it would be.

On top of that, Patrick was recovered and Emma was back to being her cheerful self now that Robin was home. Since she and Robin had effectively buried the hatchet that night on Spoon Island, the three of them were able to co-exist peacefully with no drama, which was a huge relief. Sabrina was confident that Patrick loved and wanted to be with her, meaning Robin, in the flesh or as a ghost, was no longer the third wheel in their relationship.

Sabrina loved being in love with Patrick and a part of his and Emma's family. However, now that the dust had settled in their lives, he was pushing more and more for them to take the next step and make it official. Two years ago, Sabrina would have (and did) jump at the chance to be Patrick's wife, thinking that the rings and a piece of paper made them a family; but, now, after all that had happened, she knew lives were entwined no matter what and that just being together was what really counted.

When Sabrina entered Patrick's apartment, she saw him and Emma whispering as they inspected one of the presents under the tree. When she said, "Hey, no peeking allowed," in a teasing voice, they got quiet and looked at her strangely. Weird.

As Sabrina laid the present she'd forgotten below the tree, she asked, "Ok, so who's gonna go first? Emma?"

Sabrina was surprised when Emma shook her head and then handed her the present she'd been holding. "You go first, Sabrina!"

"Me?"

Emma nodded and then looked on expectantly as Sabrina inspected the present. She made a show of shaking it and marveling at the paper for Emma's benefit until Patrick piped up and said, "Would you open it already?"

"Okay, okay. Sheesh," Sabrina muttered as she lifted a brow at Patrick's impatient tone and ripped into the paper. When the paper was gone, Sabrina lifted the lid off the box to find a picture frame turned upside down and wrapped in tissue paper. As she picked it up, she looked at Emma and asked, "Did you draw me another picture?"

Emma beamed with pride. "Daddy thought it was so great that he put it in a frame for you."

Sabrina looked at Patrick, who smiled. "Oooh! It must be an extra special picture then. I can't wait to see it."

Again, impatiently, Patrick said, "The sooner you turn it around, the sooner you'll see it."

Sabrina turned the frame around froze, staring at the drawing in shock. She heard Patrick say, "So? Will you?" When she didn't answer right away, Emma echoed his question with a, "Yeah, will you, Sabrina?"

Sabrina looked up at the expectant faces of the people she loved more than her own life and then back down to their present. She traced the outline of the drawing of the three of them with "Will you marry us?" written above it and burst into tears.

In response, Patrick kneeled down in front of her and asked worriedly, "Are you okay? We didn't mean to make you cry."

She sniffled, but regained her equilibrium. "I'm fine… I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."

He smiled and said, "It's okay." Then, Patrick looked down at the picture, which had her engagement ring taped to the corner. He peeled it off of the glass, removed the tape and held it up. "Sabrina Santiago, I love you more than I ever thought possible. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"


	43. Chapter 43

Patrick was chatting happily with Felix, Emma and a few of the guests in the church when Britt came over.

"Ah, Felix, could I see you for a second, please?" she asked, with a strange look on her face.

Felix said, "Sure," a little warily and Britt grabbed the sleeve of his tux and practically dragged him over to the corner.

Patrick tried to keep his attention on Emma and Elizabeth, as well as Juan and his wife, Noah, and Matt, all of whom had flown in especially for the occasion. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Patrick knew both Britt and Felix well enough to know that something wasn't right and, since they'd both been helping Sabrina today, he got concerned. So, he handed Emma off to Elizabeth and said, "I'll be right back. Excuse me."

When he reached the duo, they looked at him funny and went silent with guilty looks on their faces. Patrick knew that Britt and Felix tolerated each other for Sabrina's sake, so it wasn't like them to be thick as thieves without a good reason. "What's going on?"

As Felix scrambled, trying to think of something to say, Britt recovered. "Nothing, Patrick. Why would you think something is going on?"

He looked from Britt to Felix and back to Britt. Then, as he pointed an index finger between them, he said, "Because this is odd. Even for you two."

Britt laughed and punched him lightly in the arm. "I guess that's true. Felix and I were just disagreeing over… ah… Sabrina's hairstyle. Just a fashion emergency. Nothing you need to worry about." Then, she deliberately looked over at the group of people he was talking to. "You should get back to your guests. We've got it covered."

Felix echoed, "Yeah... We'll handle it." After Patrick turned to leave, he noticed the two of them start to freak out again and realized something wasn't right. When he turned back around, they froze, so he tested the waters. "You know what… I think I'm going to go check on Sabrina."

In unison, they shouted, "No!" loud enough to get the attention of everyone nearby. When Patrick went to move, Felix said, "That's bad luck, Patrick. She's in her dress - and you can't see her in her dress before the wedding." Then, he waved Juan over. "Juan will do it. He's giving her away anyway, so…"

Before Patrick could say anything else, Britt and Felix practically dragged Juan toward the bridal suite. As Patrick watched them retreat, Liz and Emma came over and Emma asked worriedly, "Is everything okay, Daddy? There's gonna be a wedding today, right?"

Patrick exchanged glances with Liz and then said, mostly to make himself feel better, "Yeah, baby. Everything's fine. We'd better go take our places so we can start."

* * *

Meanwhile…

Sabrina sat at the vanity in the bridal suite she'd occupied two years ago and took a deep breath. As she raised her hand to re-apply her lipstick, a memory flashed before her eyes: her sitting here in her red robe happily putting lipstick on as Emma watched on smiling. Staring at herself in the mirror, she muttered, "Get a grip, Sabrina."

After she finished with her lipstick, she adjusted the flower in her hair, which she'd opted to leave down and veil-less, and stood up. Sabrina used shaky hands to smooth out the invisible wrinkles in her wedding gown and sighed. It wasn't her mother's dress, but, all things considered, that was probably for the best since the dress hadn't been very good luck in the past. After Patrick proposed on Christmas Eve by having Emma give her a picture of the three of them with "Will you marry us?" written on the top, Sabrina hadn't had the willpower to refuse. While she tried to avoid setting a date, reiterating that she was happy just to be with them, Patrick wouldn't take no for an answer. He wanted to marry her - the sooner the better - and suggested Valentine's Day since that was the day he more or less came to his senses. Not wanting to argue, she agreed, and he and Felix (as well as Emma) threw themselves into planning the perfect do-over wedding for her. The problem was, however, that she wanted absolutely no part of a wedding. Apparently being abandoned at the altar had made her more gun shy than she realized. When Sabrina tried to get Patrick to reconsider and elope, just the two of them and Emma, he got surprisingly upset, so she relented.

While Sabrina was touched by the fact that Patrick wanted to get things right this time and give her the wedding he believed she deserved, the prospect of standing up there at the altar with him in front of the people who witnessed her humiliation two years ago made her want to vomit. After Britt helped her into the dress Felix had bought her before, which was really lovely, Sabrina thanked her for everything and then asked for a moment alone. When Britt questioned her odd mood, Sabrina played it off as nervousness and encouraged her not to worry, though she wasn't sure her friend bought it. After she was gone, however, Sabrina let her brave facade' crack and began pacing in earnest as the embarrassing memories of her failed wedding ran through her mind as if they had happened yesterday.

Sabrina was rubbing her temples and seriously eyeing the door she'd used to escape last time when she heard a knock. "Sabrina?" Juan asked worriedly, "Are you okay in there? Felix and Britt are concerned."

Since Sabrina had locked the door behind Britt, Juan's attempt to turn the knob was futile. Relieved that no one would see her like this, Sabrina answered with false cheer, "Fine. Just finishing up. I'll be out in a minute."

"Okay. Well, I'm right outside. Patrick and Emma are waiting and the show can't get on the road without you."

Resolved to do her best to get through the day, Sabrina took one last look at herself in the mirror, steeled her face into a smile, grabbed her bouquet and unlocked the door. "Here goes nothing," she whispered to herself as she opened the door and stepped out.


	44. Chapter 44

Since Juan was there to give her away this time, Felix walked down the aisle after Britt, leaving the two of them alone in the foyer. Sabrina took a deep breath as the doors opened, willing herself to put one foot in front of the other. A genuine smile overtook her face when she saw how Patrick had transformed the church into a tropical paradise reminiscent of Puerto Rico; however, as the Wedding March played, she kept it pasted on and her anxiety in check by focusing on Patrick standing at the altar happily waiting for her. When she and Juan reached him, Juan removed her hand from his and put her hand in Patrick's. After kissing her lightly on the cheek, he sat down in the front pew with Becky. Sabrina heard Patrick say, "You look beautiful," as she handed her bouquet to Felix, so she whispered, "Thank you," back to him just before Lucy began the ceremony.

The more Lucy talked, the less comfortable Sabrina became, soon breaking out into a cold sweat and struggling to breathe. When the time came for the vows, which she and Patrick had re-written themselves, Lucy turned to her and said, "Sabrina, would you like to go first?"

Although Sabrina had memorized them, no words escaped when she opened her mouth. As she struggled to remember the words, Sabrina gazed around the room and saw all the faces of the people she cared about begin blurring together. Feeling faint, she turned back to Patrick and swallowed. Badly needing air, Sabrina managed to squeak out an, "I can't," right before she ripped her hands from his, picked up the skirt of her gown and bolted down the aisle and out of the church.

* * *

When Patrick spied Sabrina in the back of the church, he immediately knew something was off with her. Yes, her smile was genuine, but she also seemed panicked, like a horse who'd been cornered. As she walked towards him, he remembered their last wedding and sighed. She'd been beautiful then in her mother's dress; but, she was even more gorgeous now, if that was possible. This dress was still classically elegant, but it had a much more modern vibe. With her hair cascading down her back and a tropical flower pinned in it, Sabrina looked like a fallen angel sent down from heaven just for him.

When she reached him, he smiled at her encouragingly. Robin was at her house across town and he had no other former wives to come back from the dead and disrupt everything. He'd also made it clear to all the guests that drama wasn't welcome today, so, if they had any, they'd better settle it elsewhere. This wedding would be perfect for Sabrina. It was the least she deserved.

When Juan placed Sabrina's hand in his, Patrick noticed it was clammy. Chalking it up to nerves at finally being here together again, he tried to calm her by telling her she looked beautiful. She smiled and thanked him after she gave her bouquet to Felix.

Patrick only half listened to Lucy during the beginning of the ceremony. If it had been up to him, he would have skipped the fluff and got right to the "I Do's"; however, Felix convinced him that the other stuff was important to Sabrina so he put it in. It didn't seem that important to her today though, because the longer Lucy talked, the more Sabrina fidgeted. Odd.

When it finally came time for them to say their vows, Lucy asked Sabrina to go first. He knew she had them memorized, so Patrick wasn't sure why she hesitated to speak. He was about to ask if Sabrina was okay, when he noticed her glance around the room. Unfortunately, when her eyes met his again, she looked ready to drop. Then, Patrick heard the absolute last thing he'd ever expected to hear in his life - right before she bolted down the aisle as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels.

Shocked, Patrick just stood there. If his mind were a computer, it would have been repeating the message "Error! Does not compute!" over and over because, he couldn't, for the life of him, understand how Sabrina could run away and leave him stranded at the altar feeling as if he had been punched in the gut. It was in that moment that he _truly_ realized how Sabrina had felt two years ago when he completely forgot about her and walked down the aisle to kiss Robin. What had he done?


	45. Chapter 45

When Patrick heard Felix shout Sabrina's name and step forward to run after her, he was pulled out of his stupor. His hand shot out to stop Felix and he commanded, "Don't. It has to be me."

On his way out, he stopped by the first pew where Emma was sitting with Mac and Felicia, crying silently. He kneeled down and she whimpered. "Daddy, what's going on? Why did Sabrina run away?"

Patrick reached out and pulled her into a hug and then said, "I don't know, but I'm gonna go find out, okay? Stay with Uncle Mac and Aunt Felicia until I come back." When she agreed, he backed away and stood up. Then, he made the trek down the aisle toward the doors to the foyer where Sabrina had disappeared. With each row he passed, Patrick heard the guests whispering, some in pity and some in awe that yet another of his weddings was interrupted.

Paying them no heed, Patrick exited the church and called for Sabrina in the foyer, but she didn't answer. Seeing the outer door was open, he peeked his head out and the sight he saw devastated him.

Sabrina stood there in the middle of the snowy courtyard, back to him, doubled-over and crying hysterically. Patrick silently approached her and, when he was close enough, whispered her name so as not to scare her. Upon hearing his voice, Sabrina straightened and he saw her arms move as if she was wiping tears from her eyes. Then, she sniffled and said, "Patrick? What are you doing out here?"

"Checking on you," he answered softly as he reached out and touched her arm and nudged her to turn around. She stalled at first with a, "Please don't," but he wouldn't be swayed and nudged her again.

When Sabrina reluctantly turned around, she swiped at her eyes to try to hide the tears, but it was no use because her mascara had run down her face. When he stepped toward her, she stepped back and crossed her arms over chest, likely partially in defense and partially because it was freezing out. Ever the gentleman (well, mostly, anyway), Patrick took off his tuxedo jacket and then closed the distance between them and reached out to put it over her shoulders.

Sabrina whispered a barely audible, "Thank you," and then pulled the jacket closed over her gown. She went to step back again, but Patrick wouldn't let her. Instead, he pulled her into his arms and said, "God, Sabrina, I'm so, so sorry," which caused her to start crying again.

As he held her, he continued, "I know that nothing I can say will ever make up for what I did to you. All I can do is tell you that I love you and make a vow to never hurt you like that again." When she stopped crying, he was bolstered to keep going, "When you ran away from me just now, I felt like my heart was ripped from my chest and, in that moment, I _lived _what I'd done to you. I believed the perfect wedding would make up for our ruined one, but it only made things worse and, again, I was too blind to see it."

Sabrina mumbled into his chest, "You couldn't have known…"

"I just figured you were hesitant to get married because you were still running from committing to our future; but, now I understand. That's why you tried so hard to get me to elope, isn't it?"

As she pulled back to look at him, Sabrina admitted, "I want to be your wife more than anything, but the thought of a wedding, no matter how big or small, makes me physically ill."

He wiped the remaining tears from her eyes with the pads of his thumbs. "I want to be your husband more than anything. So, if you're up for it, we can go back in there and finish this thing or we can call it off, wait a while and then elope. Just you, me and Emma. Anywhere you want to go whenever you want to go."

Patrick leaned down to kiss her tenderly on the lips in reassurance. He needed her to understand that he wasn't angry (not at her, at least). He was about to pull away and give her space to think, when Sabrina reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, knocking his jacket from her shoulders, and deepened the kiss as she pressed herself against him.

Consumed by desire, Patrick was oblivious to everything around him until he heard a throat clear, loudly, followed by Noah's voice saying, "Son, we were just wondering whether or not there is going to be a wedding tonight?"

When Patrick broke away and looked up, Noah winked at him and continued, "The peanut gallery is getting restless. I can only keep them at bay for so long before they get nosy and come out here to ask you themselves."

At that, Patrick looked down at Sabrina, who was biting her lip in indecision. "So, what do you say? Are we gonna do this or not?"


	46. Chapter 46

Sabrina juggled her shopping bags as she fumbled with the key card to her and Patrick's room. Just as she was about to slip it into the lock, the door opened revealing a non-too-pleased Patrick. He reached out, grabbed her wrist and yanked her inside as he asked, "Where were you?"

Sabrina kicked the door shut with her foot and then dropped her bags. "What's gotten into you? You know I had my spa appointment this morning. And, since I got done earlier than expected, I went to the gift shop to get some souvenirs for Emma and the rest of the family."

Patrick murmured a contrite, "Oh." Then, still holding onto her wrist, he yanked her toward him. When she slammed into his half-naked body, he said, "I forgot. It's just that I woke up and you were gone and and I freaked out a little."

Sabrina chuckled and wrapped her free arm around his torso and teased, "A little?!"

Patrick used his grip on her wrist to bring her arm up and put it behind his neck. Then, he encircled his hands around her waist. "I'm sorry. But, in my defense, you're my wife so I get a free pass when it comes to worrying about you."

Sabrina, who was wearing flip flops, reached up on her tiptoes to give Patrick a quick kiss. "Well, then it's my job as your wife to tease you when you forget stuff and make mountains out of molehills."

Sabrina went to pull away, intent on showing him the cute things she'd bought Emma, but he grasped her tighter. "Wife. I like the sound of that."

Sabrina nodded happily in agreement. As she lifted her left arm slightly off his neck to look at the wedding rings adorning her finger, she said, "I do, too. Though, it is still a little weird referring to you as my husband. I'm not quite used to it yet."

He leaned down to kiss her neck, but stopped briefly to whisper, "Well, then I think you should practice saying it over and over again until it sinks in."

Sabrina tilted her head to give him better access. As she ran her hands down his back toward the waistband of his boxers, she asked, "And how do you suggest I do that? I can't exactly go around in public repeating it or people will think I'm nuttier than Heather Webber."

He pulled away and smiled, eyes sparkling. Then Patrick let go of her waist and brought his hands to her strapless sundress and, as he inched the jersey material downward, said, "I think I could provide you with plenty of private incentives to say, or better yet, scream it at frequent intervals."

Sabrina pretended to ponder that for a moment as the material fell from her body and puddled on the floor around her feet. She stepped out of it and kicked off her flip flops. As she backed Patrick toward the king size bed, she teased, "Hmm... I dunno about that. I'm going to need a _lot_ of practice and I'm not sure you have the ... um... stamina..."

Before she could say anything else, Patrick picked her up like a sack of potatoes and then tossed her onto the bed. Right before he pounced, he smirked and declared, "Honey, you know I don't make any promises I can't keep."

* * *

Later...

Patrick admired Sabrina as she murmured, "Mmm..." and stretched her limbs like a cat. She looked at him and smiled. "That was nice."

"Nice?" He reached over and traced the top of the sheet covering but not concealing her naked body and said, "I'm not sure 'nice' is the word I would use to describe _that_.

Sabrina shifted in the bed so that she was cuddled up next to him, head on his chest. "Yeah, you're right. That was way better than 'nice'."

Patrick kissed the top of her head gently and absently rubbed her back. "Considering how many times you screamed 'husband', I'd be inclined to agree." Then, just because he loved to rile Sabrina up, Patrick added, "I'm actually a little hurt that you doubted my... What was the word? Oh, yeah... 'stamina'."

Sabrina propped herself up and kissed him. "I'm sorry."

He smiled. "Well, you should be. I have a very sensitive ego, you know."

Sabrina rolled her eyes at his absurd comment. Then, she asked brightly, "What do you want to do with the rest of our day?"

When he eyed her hungrily, she smacked him playfully on the shoulder. "Besides _that. _We've been here, in paradise, for three days and have barely left the room."

"Well, the room has amenities that the rest of the resort can't offer." Patrick was really glad to be down here in the Bahamas with Sabrina on their honeymoon, but he wasn't here to see dolphins and play bingo.

"I'm serious, Patrick. I think we should go to the beach. I walked past it again today. It's so beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you."

Sabrina side-eyed him as she shifted positions and got up. "While I adore the compliment, I think we won't really be able to appreciate the room's 'amenities' unless we see what else is out there."

Patrick watched, transfixed by his wife's beauty, as she padded to her shopping bags and pulled out one from the resort's swimwear store. Intrigued, Patrick sat up and asked, "What's in there?"

"A new bikini - and plenty of sunscreen," Sabrina replied as she walked to the bathroom and stepped inside. Before she closed the door completely, she turned and stuck her head in the opening and winked. "Both are presents for you. One you get to put on me down at the beach; and, the other you get to take off me later when we come back here."

Patrick pondered Sabrina's bait to get him to go to the beach, as the chance to actually finish what they started on the Fourth was quite an incentive. However, as he heard her shuffling around in the bathroom and then turn on the water to the massive tile shower, he got a brilliant idea of his own and bounded out of bed.

He entered the bathroom just as Sabrina was stepping into the shower and she jumped in surprise when he came up behind her and turned her around to face him. As the hot water sluiced over them, Patrick leaned in close so that his lips were inches from hers. "As tempting as that offer is, wife, I think this would be a much more 'refreshing' option, don't you?"

Sabrina locked eyes with him and Patrick knew she was remembering their heated rendezvous in the locker room shower as clearly as he was. While he was thinking of ways to convince her of the merits of his suggestion, Sabrina suddenly said, "Screw it. The beach isn't going anywhere," and then plastered herself against him and crushed her lips to his.

THE END

Like this story? Sad it is over? Then you're in luck because you can follow my new story, **Ever After**, which will pick up this story 2 years in the future. Coming soon!


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